It was back in 2019 with my then girlfriend, when I first heard The Local Train on a small venue outside the mall, in the midst of rain. I have been a fan ever since. So I took time to talk you through why The Local Train songs work so well.

Aalaas Ka Pedh

The album starts with an immediate rush with Manzil, thanks to distorted medly created by Paras on Guitar. Raman joins in with his voice, equally weighed in by the guitar. The song sets you up for what you can expect going forward, a proper rock experience that takes you up and down. With long sustained notes, Raman and the tune meld together well to uplift the song’s meaning. Talking about ….. . The album is all about short catchy sequences peppered with Raman’s voice and brilliant solo cameos on guitar.

If Manzil was a volley, Aaoge Tum Kabhi, the subsequent song is the dunk in this alley oop. The chorus has the one of the most simple descending tune, but the way TLT has crafted it, can be compared to a rich dish out of simple ingredients.

Raman’s voice kicks the song to the sky, and the acoustic guitar coming in adds more. Hearing about asking where your loved one with the powerful vocal chords of Raman, puts you in the twilight of thoughts. Paras who dropped the plan to go to LA, has shined with a beautiful insane solo. The solo takes the song to the top level, guaranteeing the second spot on the song order. All of this from a simple tune

Bandey begins with the drums and acoustic guitar. With soft vocals, and talks about ……The song deceives the listener couple of times where the high crescendoes into a just a guitar or another sequences. Finally, when Bandey actually hits, it felt a little late, but nothing we cant forgive. You can say the indie band have done a lot of work, with the guitar, the embellisment of the base line with the fade out of notes, and the disc scratches for effects.

The fourth song starts fresh with a hook in a acoustic guitar, coming together on a base line, and Raman inviting the song in. The flagship song Choo Lo is here. The oldest song from the band, Raman wrote this back before the band was formed, in 2005. Choo Lo talks about…… As the songs progresses, Raman ups the Ante with this powerful voice, and Paras empowers it with distorted backing. The bridge where Raman repeats hit, circling back to the powerful Choo lo mujhe tum kabhi, is peak TLT, back when this album came out. Paras enters the climax of the song with the solo, thus keeping this song on par ATK. The songs ends with two lines, maybe is that Raman asking us..? Maybe.

The next song Kaisey Jiyun starts powerful with the drummer, is another old song from TLT stable. The chorus comes together is a melodic chaos, where Raman asks Kaisey jiyun. There are two guitar sequences in this that amplifies the lines. The song features Paras’s best solo. The song ends with Raman with singing kaisey jiyun, almost as if he wants the answers.

The penultimate songs begins with a beautiful hook and drum like ……. The lines are simple, but just like all TLT songs, the chorus is where they mesmerize you. Raman uses his voice to shout that this is life. Superbly accentuated by the bass by the drummer. Paras’s usage of the wah wah pedal really adds more.

Dil mere, is the final soft song as a ‘thank you for visiting us’ pleasantries after a short thrill of rock. Dil mere talks about our…….  Dil mere is a perfect end. We do get glimpses with the demo(which shows how prepared the band was, where the demo sounds so finished). The acoustic version almost serves as an encore or end-credit scene for people wanting more. Since it is one of the oldest songs, it serves as a reminder of what TLT is, both in this album and before. But as the song progresses, you realize, its not an unplugged version, but another rendition of their own song. Thats some validation for people who listened till the end, without stopping the play with the same song came on.