Chandigarh three-piece That Boy Roby made a fascinating and brilliant statement with their 2018 debut album ‘Four Pair Of Jeans’; the band experimented with their songwriting and sonics but kept their own singular voice through the whole process, leading to an album that was equally fun and well made. Their video for ‘Backdrop’ is a continuation of this, combining great direction and fantastic visuals with the track’s quiet, lush feel.

‘Backdrop’ closes out the album, and it feels like the last page of a book. It’s an instrumental with strings, piano, the whole works. It evokes feelings of isolation and silent companionship in a way when listened to on its own, with its solitary lead violin and irresistibly warm pianos. But this is magnified and greatly enhanced by the video, which depicts life in the harsh winters of Spiti. This is a time of the year when snow rules the land; there’s no power, no warmth and no connection to the outside world. But as the visuals show, life still goes on, with people cheerfully shoveling snow and the fauna of the region finding their own ways to survive. The camera is kept still and impersonal, giving us glimpses of how the region still functions even in the harsh conditions. The predominantly white (obviously) colours drive this point home even further, showing how all-encompassing nature is at this time. The video has been made as a short film called ‘Pitti’ and the ebbs and flows of ‘Backdrop’ complement it perfectly.

The idea of having a combined experience of listening and viewing is debated a bit where music is concerned; people either find the music to have no connection to the visuals or be just a soundtrack and lose its identity. That Boy Roby and Himanshu Khagta seem to have found a balance in this case; the overall experience has emotion and a quiet sense of hope and confidence that is very satisfying.