یقین

As is customary with all Poor Rich Boy songs, the lyrics of Yaqeen are shrouded in ambiguity and tinged with absurdity. Yaqeen captivated me from the moment I first heard it. It is one of the few recorded instances of Umer Khan (AKA Duck) singing in Urdu, yet it blends into the composition.

Yaqeen unfolds like a tapestry, starting with an acoustic sound that gradually builds up, filling in intentional gaps. About a minute in, it crescendos like a siren, creating the sensation of teetering on the edge of a cliff— an imagined visual parallel to the music video. It then descends into a curated silence. The vocals begin from afar, suddenly getting closer after the first drop, as if the singer is talking in your ear, adding an intimate feel.

The daydream quality of Yaqeen resides in the certainty of uncertainty. Throughout the song, the same guitar chords loop, creating a sense of repetition that anchors the listener. The song’s second half echoes certain verses like a chant: “woh kehti/kehta hai mujhay hai yaqeen”, pleading for certainty in a world devoid of assurances. Perhaps the only certainty lies in the acknowledgment that one can never truly fathom what others think or feel, rendering the world perpetually uncertain. Yet, it's an unease that the listener makes peace with as the song unfolds.

In essence, Yaqeen suggests that the certainty of things dissipates when brought into the external world or spoken about. It's a delicate balance of unease, layered with a poignant acceptance, beautifully underscored by the cinematic production and recurring guitar chords created by the other half of Poor Rich Boy, Zain Ahsan.