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Hasan Raheem has just dropped ‘Exes’, the second track off his upcoming album Dil Kay Parday. Featuring Talha Anjum and Talha Yunus, with production by Abdullah Kasumbi and Matt Cohn, the track is Raheem doing what he does best.

It’s a polished track. The production is crisp, every layer, from the synths to the light guitar, sitting exactly where it should. On paper, ‘Exes’ has everything: the melancholic croon, the frustration of a love gone sour, the clean beat you can float to at 2am.

“You’ve been talking to your exes,” sings Raheem with just the right dose of aloofness, and you can practically hear Karachi collectively scream in recognition. Anjum and Yunus, meanwhile, come through with verses that add grit and weight to the track, making sure Raheem’s not drowning in his feelings alone. The song allows each artist their designated space and time to say what needs to be said.

Perhaps the most heartfelt moments come from Anjum, who raps, “Haath uthay hain to Rab kay liye / Koi nae mera, main sab kay liye / Likhay ye geet apney ghar kay liye / Likhnay day rab umar bhar kay liye / Wo jaaney muje meri shafqat kay liye / Na jaaney muje meray shar kay liye (I raise my hands in prayer / Nobody’s mine, I’m everyone’s / I write these songs for my home / May God let me write them till I die / He knows me for my grace / Not my rage).“

And then there’s the video. FT.WA STUDIO goes full sci-fi, giving us Karachi as we’ve seen it before: sinking, burning, bending itself around emotions. Playing with sci-fi elements, it sees Raheem transform into Anjum or Yunus depending on what he’s feeling. They seem to be his alter egos. Raheem’s is the perceived reality — calm, subdued, where the only chaos is internal.

But on the other side of that reality, somehow dictated by Raheem’s emotions, Yunus finds himself in a submerged house, Teen Talwar swallowed by floods, his verses echoing the suffocation of love. Anjum’s reality burns — his house, his city, all engulfed in flames, his words carrying the fury of rage. It’s a clever interplay of visuals and lyrics that keeps you hooked.

But here’s the catch: ‘Exes’ also feels like… well, an ex. Familiar, comfortable, the kind of thing you’ve heard before and can’t quite shake off. Raheem has been hanging out in this moody, bluesy pentatonic comfort zone since ‘Aisa Hi Hun’ and ‘Joona’, and while it works, it sometimes feels like he’s texting the same old flame.

That’s why songs like ‘Zaalima’, ‘Memories’ and ‘Radha’ were so refreshing. They flirted with desi melodies and hinted that Raheem was ready to move on. ‘Exes’, though, is more of a relapse. It’s excellently produced, beautifully written, but it doesn’t exactly feel like new territory.

Still, credit where it’s due: the song is smooth, the video is ambitious, and the verses (especially Anjum’s) cut deep. Raheem may not be reinventing himself here, but he knows exactly how to deliver a track that sounds like him — and maybe that’s the point.

If Dil Kay Parday is going to break new ground, we’ll just have to wait for the next chapter.