MUMBAI: Ahmedabad-based band- Aswekeepsearching had a very ‘indie’ start to its career – a band without an engineer, or a record label (of course); and an inconsistent line-up. A common set of obstacles almost every band or artist faces in the inception phase. In addition to this, the band’s sound was one that not many bands had experimented with before. The genre is relatively new to this part of the world, which could probably work in the band’s favour.

The experimental/post-rock band has a lot coming up this year, apart from its debut album release- ‘Khwaab’. With the help of Russian record label- Flowers Blossom In The Space- Aswekeepsearching will tour across cities in Russia, including Moscow and Saint Petersburg.

Uddipan, the co-founder of the band, believes the timing of the Russian tour could not be better as it follows the band’s debut album launch. An ‘icing on the cake’ as the band prepares for its first international gig after the album launch.

The album ‘Khwaab’ consists of 11 tracks, of which two tracks- ‘What If’ and ‘In Circles’ will have music videos. The album also includes three tracks from the previously released EP ‘Growing Suspicion’ as the band believed the songs are album-worthy. Having played their last gig in August, the band has since then focused all its time and energy into recording the album.

Uddipan speaks with pride and affection about ‘Khwaab’ and rightly so. The album is a ‘dream’ come true for him and his co-founding partner- Shubham. In its early days, the band played without a sound guy, and even among all uncertainty, the duo stuck to their roots, and continued their journey, eventually achieving their ‘Khwaab’.

Aswekeepsearching has also managed to collect over Rs 1 lakh for the album through crowd-funding efforts – most of which will end up going towards marketing and promotion.

Flexibility, Uddhipan says, is the main reason for AWKS’s success so far, and he is relaxed and unaffected by the idea of losing the band’s natural sound with line-up changes. Bob Alex, the bassist from Noiseware, and Gautam Deb on drums, are the two newest members to the outfit. “Bob and Gautam brought their ‘heavy’ influences, and that has helped a lot” said Uddipan, who grew up listening to Led Zeppelin and several heavy projects.

When asked whether it is tricky or difficult to find musicians with similar compatibility, the vocalist denies any such complications. Born in Assam, and currently based in Ahmedabad, Uddipan and his band mates seamlessly covered Malayali band Avial for ‘No Cover Charge’ proving the band’s versatility and adaptability, which also proves his point of ‘flexibility’.

Post-Rock is a genre yet to be explored, and Uddhipan believes there is no defined way to change these things. The band, last year, opened for Polish outfit- Tides from Nebula, and the vocalist cannot wait for Mogwai’s performance. However, Uddipan is skeptical if such developments will boost the post-rock scene in India. “The only way Indian acts will prosper or gain popularity is if you attend their shows, buy their merchandise or albums. I do not think Mogwai playing will change the post rock or any scene in the country,” he said. And it is an opinion echoed throughout the independent music community. He explained that the reason fans still attend Bhayanak Maut’s gigs cannot be credited to Metallica or Megadeth’s India tours, but purely on the quality and consistency the band still manages to provide.

Commenting on the next best alternative for musicians to make money and survive, Uddipan added, "You hope people will buy the album if they like it. Apart from that, merchandise and live shows are the only alternatives we can rely on."

Fans can buy Aswekeepsearching’s album and the merchandise, including t-shirts and posters, from the official website.