Bengaluru-based Iram’s latest single “Yaad” is anything but subdued. It’s a loud emotive, full-bodied Urdu rock anthem. “Yaad is a song about moving on,” Neil says. “It’s about accepting change. I wrote it back in college, nearly 20 years ago. We began recording it four years ago, but it wasn’t until Eric Gerald came in with the guitar arrangements that the song truly found its shape”.
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Iram has been making beautiful rock and folk ballads for some time now. Formed in 2016 by Neil Simon Abel, Iram’s debut EP Azal was a moody, minimalist record with ambient rock influences, Urdu lyricism, and philosophical weight. The band’s name, “Garden in Heaven,” was always an indicator of their sonic ambition. Meditative and emotionally expansive. A unique blend of progressive and art rock, deeply rooted in Sufi-inspired melodies, post-rock textures, and dense imagery. Their work often reflects on spirituality, mental health, love, and the illusions of materialism, themes that run through releases like their Live at Music Mojo EP (2020) and more recent tracks like Aab. The current lineup of Iram sees Neil on vocals and acoustic guitar, Eric Gerald on electric guitar and arrangements, Rohit Samuel on drums, with production and mastering by Abi Wilson.
From the first riff, Yaad makes it clear that this is Iram in full stadium-sized rock mode. Eric’s guitars shimmer and punch, Rohit’s drums are tightly locked in, and Neil, the reflective balladeer, channels a more ferocious, urgent energy that one heard in songs like the brilliant Wajood. His intoxicating voice carries that unmistakable weight and cuts through like a lightning bolt. The track then explodes into not one, but two tasty and fiery guitar solos.
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Crafting good music
“Composing comes intuitively to me,” Neil explains. “But arrangement, that’s where the magic happens when you work with skilled musicians. As a songwriter, it’s crucial to collaborate with people who can elevate the material. The song gets refined in that process.”
This process hasn’t always been smooth. “Finding band members is always a challenge. It’s always a task to manage time between different band members, to fit ourselves in each other’s schedules to jam and record”. “ Also getting used to each other’s behaviours and ways of arranging, scheduling. It takes time.”
Muscat, Pakistani Music, Parvaaz
Before Iram, Neil was part of another rock act, as the founding bassist of Parvaaz, performing alongside Khalid Ahamed in the early years of the band. Songs like Dil Khush and Behosh bear the imprint of his songwriting. He later stepped away to pursue his own creative vision, and Iram was born.
Born in Muscat, Oman, his early exposure to Pakistani music and free-to-air music channels shaped his ear. He bonded with friends over artists like Junoon, Noori, Jal, and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, as well as Western rock legends like Robert Plant, Alter Bridge, and Linkin Park. “The tone of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan is unmatched” he says. Songs like “Sarshaar” and “Soz” owe as much to the legacy of Junoon and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. He’s also no stranger to the world of playback, his voice featured in the Kannada film song Hegeke Selede, directed by Ajit Sagar.
Conveying emotion and being vulnerable in your music
“Music is ultimately about feeling,” he says. “And being vulnerable as an artist really matters to me.” That vulnerability is clear across Iram’s discography. “Ilm Na Mujhe Ishq Ki” for instance, is a song about the rare experience of being truly seen by another person. “Begaana,” written before Neil was 26, grapples with war, societal apathy, and the weight of realities that people ignore until it’s too late. Their 2024 single “Ameero Ke Gham” is a sharp takedown of materialism, a song written for the invisible working-class hero. “We’re wasting time as a privileged class on trivial things. We crib and cry about silly things” Neil says. “There is a need to be more kind and focused on how to make a better world. Instead we are finding better ways to kill each other. We need to rethink civilization.”
Despite their fiercely introspective work, Iram isn’t immune to the frustrations of the modern music industry. “We’ve spent years honing our craft,” Neil says. “And suddenly you’re told you have to make reels. It’s frustrating. But we’re trying to get used to it.” And while Neil admits that “validation matters because of the hard work you’ve put in,” it’s clear he’s not chasing trends.
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You can watch the music video for Yaad here:
Yaad can be streamed here:
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