Begum Announces First Album In 5 Years With The Single 'Better Person'

Though Begum has stayed quiet on the release front since their lauded 2016 album 'W.A.E' (We Are Excited), the trio of Kartik Pillai, Karan Singh and Dhruv Bhola have constantly put their musicality on offer as their respective solo acts, as backing musicians for multiple of their label-mates and as 3/5th of indie-favourites Peter Cat Recording Co.

Edging closer to the effective songwriting-led style of the latter but with a more concise poignancy and singular fanfare energy, the New Delhi band has just released the single 'Better Person' with an accompanying music video to announce their upcoming album 'Are you ok?', which comes out in March 2022.

The new single drops the bulk of the lo-fi qualities that the band's earlier work was defined by, to ride on the punctuations of indie hooks and mostly the drive of the punchy interplay of bass and drums. Though the band still professes writing from an instinctive place, the minimal lyrics and brief run of 'Better Person' effectively puts across the themes of the band's most emotionally and musically straightforward work.

The accompanying video by Kartik Pillai's brother Sachin S Pillai further adds a darker layer to the song, which he explains: "What makes a person better? Is it me who needs to be better for you, or is it you that needs to be better for me? The video for Begum's 'Better Person' is an absurdist foray into this 'process,' if you will– specifically that of changing a person to be more perfect. To create a version that suits you best."

Watch the music video for 'Better Person' below and head to Begum's artist profile for more information.

Image by Shrey Gupta for Magnetic Fields Nomads 2021