I wanted to send something joyful for Eid. This song, by Brooklyn/Lahore based band Sandaraa always makes me smile. I’d reviewed this EP on release, and was pleasantly surprised to find that my past self had also made the connection to Eid:
In five songs there is grand diversity of emotion. The texture of the sound remains consistent throughout, and is perhaps what binds this together as a work, but each song presents a different mood. ‘Jegi Jegi Lailajan’ first invites you in with tempting mélange of celebration and questioning; then ‘Mana Nele’ begins to soul search; ‘Bibi Sanem Janem’ starts to find a beat, to create a picture, to long; ‘Dilbarake Nazinin’ then really embraces you, it is intimate and warm; and the real celebration of it all is ‘Haatera Taiyga’. Celebrations can take many forms, all are happy in the end, but some are raucous and garish, others are polite and polished. This album is neither extreme: it is not a college brawl, it is not a fancy dinner party. It is the geniality of a family Eid gathering.
…
The band was in fact formed over the members’ collective love of old worn cassettes of Baluchi, Dari and Pashto music. On hearing ‘Haatera Taiyga’ they started dancing, and decided to pass on the feeling.