this is just a dream
The Brooklyn-based alternative/shoegaze band Minaxi attempt to make a bold sonic statement with their debut full-length album Khwab. The sound on the record combines elements of psychedelia, shoegazing, hard rock, dream pop and sufi. With lyrics penned in English and Hindi, the album draws on the themes of love, loss, freedom, faith, home, self-respect, rage, beauty, angst, nostalgia, fate, laughter, courage and dreams.
Read more on Rolling Stone India, Rock Street Journal, Bands Do Brooklyn, Buzz Music and Creative Boom
The visuals for the campaign were driven by Minaxi's sound. The colour scheme imparts a dreamlike quality to the visuals, a characteristic inherent to Minaxi's music. The visuals themselves are meant to be sequences without a set beginning or end. The layering and blending in the visuals help achieve the feeling of experiencing a dream. ITC's New Rennie Mackintosh typeface compliments the band's identity beautifully.
The LP + 7" album art is graced by Becca Tauscher and Laura Taylor, both amazing aerialists, via Mark Laubenheimer's photography. They also appear in the music video for Minaxi's song Belladonna.
I approached the music videos for Khwab as a series of visuals that evoke a certain emotion. Since they're meant to be sequences occurring while in a state of dream, the videos don't have a set narrative. Instead, the music forms the soundtrack to these sequences. The process then becomes emotive and non-linear.
Over 100 assets were created for the release campaign. The video below highlights some of the countdown visuals leading up to the album release
CREDITS
Concept, Design, Strategy and Creative Direction: Shrenik Ganatra (@shrenik18)
Client: Minaxi (@minaxitheband)
Photography: Mark Laubenheimer (@laubenheimer_portraits)
Featured on the Album Art: Becca Tauscher (@bexintheair) and Laura Taylor (@flyingsyren)
Visuals: Shrenik Ganatra and Minaxi
Visuals for the Belladonna music video: Mark Laubenheimer
Khwab is now streaming on Spotify, Apple Music and several other streaming platforms.
Click here to stream the album