Dameer releases new single “Amar Jaan”
Dameer
Releases New Single
‘Amar Jaan’
Debut EP ‘For We Are Distant’ Out 26th February via Majestic Casual
Photo Credit: Nelson Chong. Hi-res available here
Rising star Dameer is today releasing ‘Amar Jaan’, the final single to be lifted from his forthcoming debut EP, ‘For We Are Distant’, which is being released on 26th February via Majestic Casual. On ‘Amar Jaan’, Dameer is in a more contemplative mood than previous singles taken from the EP, ‘Believe’ and ‘Sun’.
With soaring synths drenched in reverb, layered over traditional Bengali percussion like the dhol and tabla, Dameer croons about the meaninglessness of life and how he escapes the absurdity through his lover. He switches between English in the verses and Bangla, his native language, in the chorus, melting contemporary bedroom pop production with traditional South Asian rhythm and melody in a never before seen way. Dameer wrote this when he first left Bangladesh and moved to Malaysia, hence turning his prior relationship into a long-distance one, and sparking the inherently multicultural aspect of his art. Amar Jaan is about total emotional dependency, when you’re desperately alone and the world is on fire.
‘Amar Jaan was inspired by a long distance relationship. This relationship took place around the time I moved to Malaysia with my family. It was also a time of great political turmoil, both internationally and domestically in Bangladesh, and I felt like the world was falling apart. I found that when it was going well, this relationship would relieve me of a lot of these existential anxieties, however we also had our issues that were further exacerbated by the distance. The song talks about how beautifully escapist it all was, and about how I felt like time was moving ever so painfully slowly as I adapted to a new home.’
20 year old Dameer was born in Dhaka, one of the most densely populated cities in the world. Growing up with music constantly around him, and learning how to play and produce in his bedroom, he has taken influence from his surroundings to write songs that are both intimate and vast. Although he’s not afraid to tackle big issues from mental health to politics, he chooses to do this in a positive way, using the small absurdities in life to frame his stories.Having learnt how to create music in Dhaka, it was the move to Kuala Lumpur that expanded his horizons as a lyricist, channeling new surroundings and feelings of loneliness into his songwriting. Dameer plays the guitar, piano, drums, bass, and the Bashi (a traditional Bangladeshi flute) and pairs lo-fi tones with psychedelic guitars and mesmerising vocals, creating an organic, sincere bridge between the East and the West.
