The Local Train

Hindi alternative rock band

The Local Train

The Local Train

Background information
Origin| Chandigarh, India
Genres| Pop Rock
Years active| 2008–present
Labels| Independent
Members| Paras Thakur
Ramit Mehra
Sahil Sarin
Past members| Anand Sharma
Abhinav Bansal
Raman Negi

The Local Train is an Indian rock band formed in Chandigarh in 2008, and based in New Delhi since 2015.[1] The band's current lineup consists of lead guitarist - Paras Thakur, bassist - Ramit Mehra, and drummer and percussionist - Sahil Sarin. In April 2022, the band announced that their vocalist / frontman Raman Negi has left the band.[2][3][4]

Having started their career by releasing a stream of singles,[5] the band's debut album Aalas Ka Pedh was released in 2015 and their second album Vaaqif followed in 2018. Both the albums have been among the top 5 most-streamed rock music albums on Apple Music India.[6] The band is known for its Hindi and Urdu lyrics, often touching on topics like communalism and faith[7] which has made them popular with younger audiences across India.[8]

The Local Train frequently performs at live events and music festivals in India. They performed at Bacardi NH7 Weekender, SULAFEST, One Plus Music Fest, Red Bull Tour Bus, Grub Fest and Sympulse Fest. Their music has been featured in Pan Nalin's 2015 film Angry Indian Goddesses, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.[9]

## Band members[edit]

* Paras Thakur – Lead & Acoustic Guitar
* Ramit Mehra – Bass Guitar
* Sahil Sarin – Drums, Percussion

Past Members

* Anand Sharma - Guitarist, Vocals
* Raman Negi – Lyrics, Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
* Abhinav Bansal - Acoustic Guitar
* Abhinish Goinjihar – Acoustic Guitar

## History[edit]

### Early years[edit]

The Local Train began in Chandigarh in 2008 when Ramit, who was working in radio, theatre and performing with several local bands,[10] collaborated with Raman on a song.[11] Soon after, Ramit introduced Raman to Sahil, a well-known independent musician and educator in the circuit,[12] who had known Ramit since their school days and they formed The Local Train. In 2011, Paras joined the band, replacing Abhinav, and dropped out of his civil engineering course.[13] In 2012, Raman quit his job at TCS to pursue music full time and the band relocated to Delhi.[14] Throughout this period, they functioned independently; they handled the management and logistics while simultaneously working on songs and releasing them online. Their single "Choo Lo" was released on MySpace in 2009 and continued to be refined until its music video release in 2011. Other singles released then include "Aaoge Tum Kabhi" and "Kaisey Jiyun" in 2014.[15]

### 2015–2016[edit]

The Local Train had recorded most of their debut album Aalas Ka Pedh when they won Sennheiser's first Top50 band talent hunt in India in 2015, bagging an endorsement from Sennheiser.[16][17] They finished the album, which contained two of their previously released singles, and released it with Flying Carpet Productions in September 2015.[18] The album was mastered by Chris Hesse[14] and was one of the highest selling Indian rock albums of the year,[19] featuring on the “Most Streamed Rock Albums'' list on Apple Music India.[20] In November 2015 they signed on with Spectal Management.[21]

The Local Train worked extensively with The Morpheus Productions for their initial music videos. The first video was for "Aaoge Tum Kabhi", which featured in Pan Nalin's 2015 film Angry Indian Goddesses[22] that premiered at The Toronto International Film Festival.[23] Their second music video for Kaise Jiyun featured a performance by choreographer Ryan Martyr.[24] The Dil Mere video was shot in Solang Valley and Manali, and was produced by Snow Leopard Productions,[25] and Atharva Studios.

### 2017–present[edit]

The Local Train released Khudi in 2017, a single from their second album. Its music video starred Arjun Mathur, was directed by Vijesh Rajan and produced by Jungle Book Entertainment.[26] It won Platinum Film of The Year at the 2017 India Film Project Awards.[27] The second album Vaaqif was released in January 2018, with mixing and mastering done by Erich Talaba.[28] The band toured extensively in 21 cities before the album launch. In 2018, they released Mizaaj's music video, their first foray into animation that was conceptualized and animated by Ekabhuya Animation.[29] A cyber-punk themed animated video for Gustaakh soon followed, produced by Plexus studios [30] and edited by Shreyas Beltangdy. It was selected for the 18th Miami International Science Fiction Film Festival,[31] and chosen as one of Rolling Stone’s 11 best Indian music videos for 2019.[32]

The band is reported to be currently working on a third album.[33]

In April 2022, it was revealed that vocalist Raman Negi had left the band. However, the band reported they will continue making music.[34] Raman Negi released his debut solo album, "Shaksiyat" later that year.

## Style and themes[edit]

The Local Train’s music uses a blend of Urdu and Hindi lyrics, and has been described as soulful,[35] evocative, and anthemic.[36] The band cites their musical influences to include Nirvana, Aerosmith, U2, Porcupine Tree, Lucky Ali, The 1975, and Alt-J.[8] They have expressed a desire to “put the Hindi in the indie”, and to make a mark on audiences looking to switch from mainstream Bollywood to other genres of music.[37]

While Aalas ka Pedh was more pop-rock inclined,[38] showing the evolution of the band's music,[39] the band started to experiment with larger themes in their second album Vaaqif. The tracks and accompanying videos explore diverse topics and stories including those about communalism, faith, existentialism,[36] self-actualisation, over-dependence on technology,[40] and oppressive regimes.[41]

## Tours and live shows[edit]

The Local Train is prolific in its live performances, with 300 shows performed since October 2015.

### Music festivals[edit]

* Felcon Fest, Dima Hasao, Assam(2021)
* Grubfest (2017)[42]
* Bacardi NH7 Weekender (2017,[43] 2018 [44])
* Bacardi NH7 Weekender Express (Jaipur 2018,[45] Chandigarh 2018 [46])
* Red Bull Bus Tour (2018)[47]
* OnePlus Festival (2019).[48]
* Udaipur World Music Festival (2019) [49]
* He Ha Story (2019) [50]
* Repertwahr festival (2019) [51]
* SULA fest (2020) [52]

### Tours[edit]

* 7 City Summer Tour (2018)
* 7 City Summer Tour (2019) [53]

### College festivals[edit]

The band has performed at colleges in more than 90 cities across India including Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies, University of Delhi

* Vivacity 2015, 2018 The LNM Institute of Information Technology, Jaipur

* HILLFFAIR 2016, 2019 National Institute of Technology, Hamirpur
* Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune
* Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata
* Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad
* Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi[54]
* Indian Institute of Technology, (Indian School of Mines), Dhanbad[55]
* AARUUSH 2018, SRM Institute of Science and Technology
* Breeze 2018, Shiv Nadar University
* Effervescence 2018, Indian Institute of Information Technology, Allahabad[56]
* Waves 2019, BITS Goa
* Kaalrav 2018, Sikkim Manipal Institute of Technology
* Espektro 2020, Kalyani Government Engineering College
* Ingenium 2018, Ahmedabad University[57]

### Other shows[edit]

The band has performed at venues including Hard Rock Cafe,[58] Farzi Cafe,[59] Flea Bazaar Cafe,[60] Fandom Bangalore,[61] and Phoenix Market City.[62]

## Discography[edit]

Aalas Ka Pedh (transl. The tree of laziness)

Released on 25 September 2015.

No.| Title| Length

|
|

1.| "Manzil"| 4:20
2.| "Aaoge Tum Kabhi"| 4:13
3.| "Bandey"| 5:05
4.| "Choo Lo"| 3:53
5.| "Kaise Jiyun"| 3:59
6.| "Yeh Zindagi Hai"| 4:09
7.| "Dil Mere"| 3:31
8.| "Kaise Jiyun (Acoustic)"| 3:39
9.| "Yeh Zindagi Hai (Demo)"| 4:20

Vaaqif (transl. Aware)

Released on 19 January 2018.

No.| Title| Length

|
|

1.| "Gustaakh"| 3:04
2.| "Dilnawaz"| 3:27
3.| "Khudi"| 4:57
4.| "Aaftab"| 3:53
5.| "Mere Yaar"| 4:46
6.| "Mizaaj"| 4:23
7.| "Aakhri Salam"| 4:37
8.| "Vaaqif"| 6:20

## References[edit]

1. ^ "'For us, it has always been about putting Hindi in indie and making original music'". The Indian Express. 15 October 2015. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
2. ^ "Raman Negi on quitting The Local Train: Time for me to move on". Hindustan Times. 19 April 2022. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
3. ^ "'H'indie rock: gear up for The Local Train's performance in Hyderabad". www.indulgexpress.com. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
4. ^ "The Local Train on Instagram: "•Update• #thelocaltrain #tlt #tltprevails"". Instagram. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
5. ^ "Performance of Coupled-Cluster Singles and Doubles on Modern Stream Processing Architectures". doi:10.1021/acs.jctc.0c00336.s001. Retrieved 15 April 2021. `{{cite journal}}`: Cite journal requires `|journal=` (help)
6. ^ "India Apple Music Top 100 Rock Albums". www.top-charts.com. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
7. ^ "The Local Train on their second album Vaaqif, changing the way Hindi rock music is perceived". Firstpost. 12 February 2018. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
8. ^ a b "Review | Aalas Ka Pedh by The Local Train". A Humming Heart. 7 September 2020. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
9. ^ "'Angry Indian Goddesses' wins at Toronto International Film Festival". www.news18.com. 21 September 2015. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
10. ^ "Keeping it Original & Candid: The Local Train". Monday Morning. 15 February 2016. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
11. ^ "In tune with soulful symphonies". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
12. ^ "Rock ON! - Indian Express". archive.indianexpress.com. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
13. ^ "The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - The Tribune Lifestyle". www.tribuneindia.com. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
14. ^ a b Kusnur, Narendra (29 March 2018). "Heady beats and soulful lyrics". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
15. ^ "'For us, it has always been about putting Hindi in indie and making original music'". The Indian Express. 15 October 2015. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
16. ^ "Delhi Rockers The Local Train Announced Winners of Sennheiser Top50 -". My Site. 28 July 2015. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
17. ^ "sennheiser top 50 contest winner 'The local train' | Metalbase | Taking Indian Rock, Metal Global | Provides Best Digital Solution in India". 26 September 2015. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
18. ^ "The Local Train releases debut album". My Site. 9 September 2015. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
19. ^ "You are being redirected..." www.thedailypao.com. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
20. ^ "India Apple Music Top 100 Rock Albums". www.top-charts.com. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
21. ^ "Vaaqif". www.platform-mag.com. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
22. ^ "'Angry Indian Goddesses' album is a mix of genres - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
23. ^ "'Angry Indian Goddesses' wins at Toronto International Film Festival". www.news18.com. 21 September 2015. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
24. ^ "Ryan Martyr (India, Delhi)". theurbandancecommunity. 26 April 2016. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
25. ^ Dil Mere | Short Film of the Day | Shorted, 14 March 2021, retrieved 3 May 2021
26. ^ Behance. "Showreel". Behance. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
27. ^ "The Local Train Detail Their Upcoming Album 'Vaaqif' -". My Site. 6 October 2017. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
28. ^ "The Local Train on their latest album 'Vaaqif'". A Humming Heart. 2 February 2018. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
29. ^ "Ekabhuya Animation raises strong voice for conserving nature & looking beyond virtual life". AnimationXpress. 27 June 2019. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
30. ^ "Gustaakh asserts that blind faith in a leader might turn out to be dangerous". AnimationXpress. 31 December 2019. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
31. ^ "An Evening of Animation". SciFi Film Festival. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
32. ^ "11 Best Indian Music Videos of 2019 -". My Site. 26 December 2019. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
33. ^ "There are Good Days and Bad But Four of Us Really Work Well Together: Rock Band The Local Train". www.news18.com. 15 November 2019. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
34. ^ "The Local Train and Vocalist-Guitarist Raman Negi Part Ways". 15 November 2019.
35. ^ "The Local Train". www.platform-mag.com. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
36. ^ a b "The Local Train on their second album Vaaqif, changing the way Hindi rock music is perceived". Firstpost. 12 February 2018. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
37. ^ "'For us, it has always been about putting Hindi in indie and making original music'". The Indian Express. 15 October 2015. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
38. ^ "The Local Train releases debut album". My Site. 9 September 2015. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
39. ^ Borthakur, Pritisha. "In Conversation With The Local Train | Pritisha Borthakur". Retrieved 19 May 2021.
40. ^ "Watch | The Local Train's new artistic video 'Mizaaj'". A Humming Heart. 31 August 2018. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
41. ^ "gustaakh: the local train". Shreyas Beltangoy. 8 August 2019. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
42. ^ "The Grub Fest Is Back & They're Doing A 9-City Tour This Year! | LBB". LBB, Delhi-NCR. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
43. ^ Goil, Anchal (16 November 2017). "Bacardi NH7 Weekender 2017 Pune Reveals Day-wise Lineup!". Sherpa Land. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
44. ^ "Bacardi NH7 Weekender 2018 Wraps Up Day 2 in Pune with Thrilling Performances". eventfaqs.com. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
45. ^ "Mark The Date For 'Bacardi NH7 Weekender' This December". www.cityshor.com. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
46. ^ "Bacardi NH7 Weekender Express Chandigarh". insider.in. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
47. ^ "Red Bull Music Presents year five of Off The Roof". www.redbull.com. Red Bull. 23 October 2018. Archived from the original on 9 May 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
48. ^ "OnePlus Music Festival - OnePlus (India)". www.oneplus.in. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
49. ^ "Festival Review: Udaipur World Music Festival 2019 -". My Site. 21 February 2019. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
50. ^ "The He Ha Story". insider.in. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
51. ^ "Catch The Local Train LIVE at the Day 3 of the Repertwahr Festival Season 10 in Lucknow!". Knocksense. 13 December 2019. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
52. ^ Goyal, Vanshika. "Are You Excited For Sula Fest 2020? | Unsobered". Retrieved 28 May 2021.
53. ^ "Set to begin their summer tour, rock band The Local Train talk about finding direction in their decade-long journey". www.indulgexpress.com. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
54. ^ "Twitter".
55. ^ "YouTube". YouTube.
56. ^ "Youtube". YouTube.
57. ^ "TimesOfIndia". The Times of India.
58. ^ "The Local Train - Live at Hard Rock Cafe Event At Delhi-NCR, Saket - Party karo". partykaro. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
59. ^ "The Local Train at Farzi | LBB". LBB, Delhi-NCR. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
60. ^ "Gig Alert: Catch The Local Train Live At Flea Bazaar Cafe | LBB". LBB, Mumbai. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
61. ^ "The Local Train performs in Bengaluru". www.indulgexpress.com. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
62. ^ "The Local Train Is Performing In Bangalore And We've Got All The Deets | LBB". LBB, Bangalore. Retrieved 28 May 2021.

## External links[edit]

* Official Website
* Youtube Channel
* Facebook Page
* Instagram Page
* Twitter Page

Authority control databases: Artists |

* MusicBrainz

|

*[transl.]: translation
*[No.]: Number