- Latest single ‘Reign’ out now
Paranoid Earthling, known as one of the first rock bands that emerged from Kandy, brought their unique brand of sonic weaponry back on the waves today (8) after a small hiatus, with the release of their latest single Reign. The band is the brainchild of Mirshad Buckman and Shanka Samarasinghe, who after meeting in school all those years ago and discovering their shared interests in music, decided to form a band.
The band caught their big break in late 2001 when appearing as guest performers for a local college concert. Choosing to cover Nirvana, the band had the audience enthralled, catching the attention of all rock-and-rollers and revolutionising the rock culture in Sri Lanka.
Their self-produced debut extended play (EP) Rock n’ Roll is my Anarchy has sold out in Sri Lanka, as well as overseas in countries like Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, the Maldives, and India, along with countless amounts of downloads. All three songs on the debut EP, In Black & White from the EP Playtime Music, and their latest release Bringing down the Sun, have reached the No. 1 position on the local rock charts. In addition, songs like Highway, Half Cast, God’s Gone Postal, Deaf, Blind, Dumb, and Sophia also have become favourites amongst the Earthling fans at their live gigs.
Since its inception in 2001, Paranoid Earthling’s music has always revolved around socio-cultural issues surrounding the day-to-day life of an average Sri Lankan youth.
Their latest release Reign stays true to their roots of making music that derives from personal experiences as well as from contemporary political and social issues at large, as it speaks of a country ruled by dictators – no leap of the imagination for a country that only recently ousted its President.
The Morning Brunch caught up with lead vocalist, lyricist, and guitarist of Paranoid Earthling Mirshad Buckman for an insider’s view of the song. Reign, he revealed, was recorded several years ago on the day when the presidential elections were held with Mahinda Rajapaksa contesting against Sarath Fonseka in January 2010. We asked Buckman if he chose to release the song now based on the country’s current political situation, to which he explained that the song was actually recorded in bits and pieces over several years, and it was now finally ready.
“We have decided to start releasing some of the songs we’ve had in the works for years, but this, seeing the situation in Sri Lanka right now, seemed most relevant and suited to be the first release,” he stated.
Buckman also shared that the song took so long to be released, as back then, he had just begun studying how to produce music, so the song underwent a lot of trial and error; later it was recorded over time at his house, and recently polished enough to officially be released.
He described the song to be sung from the point of view of a dictator, and although it may seem to coincide perfectly with certain ongoing events in the country, the song was not specifically made with it in mind. By questioning concepts such as democracy, violence, conflict, religion, and social hierarchies, their music calls for social change and transformation, and Buckman added that he believes their music resonates mostly with youth who enjoy their rebellious songwriting, as they feel it gives them a voice.
We also asked Buckman if this song was part of an upcoming album or if it was a standalone single. He was reluctant to reveal too much, simply saying: “There is a lot more coming up. We plan to release a lot more music this year, so keep an eye out.”
In terms of gigs, he told us to not expect any, especially given the unpredictable situation in the country. However, in good news for fans, Buckman added that they’ve accumulated quite a lot of unfinished music that has now been completed, which they will be putting out soon.
Through the band’s 21 years of existence, Paranoid Earthling’s music has created a new subculture among music listeners in Sri Lanka, always drawing inspiration from day-to-day issues that affect us. Reign is no different and Buckman hopes after their short hiatus, their audience will enjoy this reprise.
