Indo-Canadian Pop rap icon Amritpal Singh or AP Dhillon returned last month with another single called “Thodi Si Daaru,” featuring guest singer Shreya Ghoshal.
The chorus of this track makes you want to donate your headphones to a local charity. AP delivers a catchy and almost nursery rhyme-like vocal line “Thori si daaru mere andar aa gaii,” which is impactful enough to send you back to your middle school classroom, forehead on palm, elbow on desk, as if you are silently regretting every decision that brought you to this moment. The bad news is that the melody is sticky, so once it enters your brain it is unlikely to leave.
“You can't deny its energy. The beat has that perfect summer anthem feel, practically made for being blasted at parties. But on the other hand, the lyrics and overall tone feel engineered for a viral moment—built to spark memes and hot takes rather than leaving a deep musical impression,” DJ Kamal Mustafa told The Express Tribune.
“It's definitely catchy, but it’s so over-the-top that you find people laughing at it just as much as they dance to it. This same split reaction is happening all over in Pakistan too. You'll find people playing it on repeat right next to others who just find it cringe.”
DJ Kamal has produced eighteen albums for both sides of the border.
“And maybe that's the brilliant part. In today's music scene, a song that gets everyone talking is a hit, and Dhillon clearly gets that. Call it a summer banger or a social media stunt, but either way, "Thodi Si Daaru" did its job—we’re all talking about it.”
AP’s vocals are backed by a pleasant and uplifting guitar-based instrumental with some pop rock drums. It strikes a similar tone to his earlier pop records, which were lighthearted and smiley. The lyrics are, however, shallow and ridiculous, almost as if they were designed for memes and absurd TikTok videos. It may be catchy but it feels emotionally empty, as if it could be played endlessly on repeat in any number of clothing stores in a shopping mall.
AP sings about alcoholism and desire, as well as the confusion that results when both overlap. We are not sure if he felt that he was breaking new ground here, but newsflash this topic has been covered since the 11th century when medieval drinking song Carmina Burana did it: “In taberna quando sumus…” (“When we are in the tavern”).
Mercifully, though, Shreya Ghoshal's clean vocals break the monotony of the song. Her verse starts with some sweet, catchy and refined melodies, briefly bringing some colour and life into the track. Her opening lines are a fresh change from the infectiously sub par chorus melody, which she then decides to incorporate in her own verse, bringing the song back to square one where it started. Our verdict: More miss than hit.
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