Since independence, the music industry in Bangladesh has blossomed through gifted musicians who have paved the way for their subsequent generations to follow suit.
Naive is but one of the many young bands who have made a big splash. Over the past seven years, they have flirted with heavy metal and hard rock, and honed their skills, chemistry, and musicianship to arrive at a point to join the movement of modern metal with their sound.
The band has grown to be a regular mainstay on the Dhaka circuit - they have gone performing from sparsely crowded coffee shops to sellout crowds at convention centers.
With five singles out so far, the band has been working on their debut album for years now. In this day and age, it is a monumental struggle for a band to pursue the dreams of an album nearly a decade after they first formed. While the members all have day jobs or families, their love for the craft keeps them tied together.
Naive has written down 2019 as the year their debut album comes out after years of constant self-improvement, a testimony to their convictions and self-critique.
The track “Niyomer Dewal” reveals an uncanny level of chemistry between the band members as Farhan Tanveer’s kick drums and Anan’s bass guitar lay down a foundation for a groovy riff that punctuates throughout the song. While the instruments can be tagged under metal, Ishan Hossain’s soaring vocals harken to the classical rock singing style prevalent in Bangladesh.
Saimon Hossain Akash, who plays the lead guitar for the band, refuses to pigeonhole the band into the genre.
He explained his stance: “If someone asks me what genre of music we perform, I’ll say that I genuinely don’t know. But, if you like our music, we're glad.”
Bassist Anan Asheq Arefeen chimes in: “Our music is based on the core concept of a song. We take on elements that convey emotions. If elements from different genres help convey the emotions we want to express, we are going to incorporate them.”
The band jams hard and loud, and always improving. Farhan, who also drums for Black on the side, reveals a knack for the art in his remarkable chemistry with bassist Anan.
Guitarist Orchi elaborates the composing process, saying: “Some of the pieces are very old. There’s a riff I composed years ago and I’m still improving upon it.”
Of course, Naive is not just limited to the five members. Former guitarist Hisham Bin Mustafa remains as a source of constant support to the band, while many of their friends contribute lyrics to their songs.
Their last single “Children Of The Atom” was an X-Men tribute as part of the album “Comicon: The First Album” – a collection of homages to booming superhero-based pop culture scene in Bangladesh and around the world.
For the band, getting an album out is not the point. But getting the album they have dreamt of is. Every time they get together, every time they go over a track, they are eager to improve it. Their insistence on getting it right is almost an imperceptible nod to the band’s name, Naive.