Daily Recco, July 8: Friar’s Lantern holds up the light to face yourself

When the Mumbai-based prog-rock band Protocol released their single — An Honest Conversation — in 2018, we were floored, to say the least. The powerful single track was followed by their eight-track (debut) album — Friar’s Lantern. Each track in the album is a step in the journey of introspection that a person embarks on, and each song is about a flaw that they are seeking to perfect.

As it is wont to be, the album opens with An Honest Conversation. The next track, Wait Until Tomorrow addresses the eternal procrastinator in each one of us. We all wait until the “tomorrow” that somehow never seems to come, and the edginess that comes with the feeling of being at the brink of despair. The music matches the emotions. The sounds are hard-hitting notes that sit perfectly with lead vocalist Shweta Venkatramani’s delicately sombre voice.

Similarly, the third track — Gullible Child — is about the inner child in all of us that is gullible and influenced by others’ opinions and emotions around. The realisation then dawns, and we realise that none of what we opine or feel is our own.

The inspiration for the album’s title is interesting in itself. As Venkatramani explains in an interview, the title— Friar’s Lantern — comes from a naturally occurring phenomenon of flashy lights over marshy lands.

This is one album that you should listen to as we battle the demons in our heads amidst the panic. Simply put, the album is sublime.

Also Read: Swadesi's Chetavni to the complacent society

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