Jammu-based hip-hop artist Shen B aka Shayaan Bhat has released the compelling single Colder. Accompanied by a music video set in the future where Earth is swallowed by a nuclear apocalypse, the song poses the question ‘What If?’ to viewers.

Spanning the expansive themes of science, technology, climate change, time, romance and more, Colder is a song of solidarity for everyone who has ever lost a loved one. Racing against the clock literally and musically (the production of the track underlines a ticking watch), Colder sees Shen B attempt to go back in time and make a different choice. The rapper and long-time creative collaborator (as well as director, editor and VFX ninja) Wikki Koul were inspired by films like the ‘Mad Max’ franchise, shows like Vikings and The Last Kingdom as well as games like The Last of Us and Fallout 3 while building the immersive world of Colder. The result is an unforgettable track and music video that is as imaginative as it is thought-provoking.

Filmed in the tourist hotspot Patnitop, which is about 100 kilometres away from Jammu city, the Colder music video dreams up the familiar to be alien and strange. Opening in the dead of winter in a snow-laden forest, the clip transports viewers to an apocalyptic world where one survivor, Shen B, struggles with the factor of choice — should he go back in time and make a different decision or shall he live with the consequences of his actions? 

Employing futuristic VFX by Koul as well as gritty art, costume and production design by Shen B, Colder introduces viewers to an alternative universe where human beings didn’t engage with urgent issues like climate change. The video also invites viewers to experience the emptiness one feels when someone close to them passes away. The Colder music video, inspired by Shen B’s battle with grief in the wake of his mother’s passing, is ultimately a powerful meditation on life and death.

“Both me and (‘Colder’ director) Wikki Koul lost our mothers in 2020, and we wanted to create art that spoke of the experience of losing a loved one. The whole music video for ‘Colder’ was based on the question ‘What if?’. Sci-fi was the only genre that came to mind as Wikki and I have always been big sci-fi heads since the inception of our filmmaking careers; whatever we can imagine, we can try to show it. My hands were numb, so were my ears and nose but we kept on shooting for an average of 6 hours over 3 days in temperatures as low as -4°C. We channelled our emptiness to fuel our passion with ‘Colder.’ We wanted to create something that hasn’t been done in the independent scene, something that didn’t involve a lot of money, but loads of planning and vision. I am known to switch my musical vibe from time to time to keep things fresh for my listeners, as well as for my own sanity, and I hope people take away an important perspective for the Earth’s future through ‘Colder.’”

The rapper/poet chose the genre of sci-fi to visualise Colder because of the possibilities it presents. Futurism enabled Shen B to experiment with the story he wanted to tell as well as underline how technology might create bigger problems than those it solves. The hip-hop artist and his bare-bones crew of two other people pushed themselves to the limits during the filming of Colder, even shooting during extreme temperatures that dropped as low as -4°C. Despite the risk of frostbite, the artist filmed Colder over a period of three days. Through the trials of the making of the track, Shen B and Koul want other artists to know that nothing is impossible if one has the right vision. Up next for the rapper/poet is his second EP Kaafi which is all set to drop in April.

Watch the music video for Shen B’s ‘Colder’ here: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEPUW3ef-_U