Indie Reviews

One (Second Sight): Despite the fact that #selflove and #selfacceptance seem to be everywhere on social media(mostly for influencer marketing), both the terms are often discarded in their truer senses. What does it mean to accept oneself? Mumbai-based duo Second Sight explores the question in their new single One. By drawing their inspiration from the lives and experiences of the queer community, they give the song a rare kind of context. Moving outside the generic calls to “love yourself”, the duo illustrates what self-acceptance can mean to people who are, more often than not, rejected for the simple fact of who they are.

The song features a quintet that produces a lush allegro of guitar and synth, syncopated by the R&B-soul-inspired vocal flourish of Anusha Ramasubramoney and Pushkar Srivatsal. Their harmony is reminiscent of Hiatus Kaiyote and brims with delirious grooves and perfectly placed chord changes. A strong but restrained bass ties the whole thing together, as does the effortless rap executed to perfection by Princeton Ugoeze Aguocha. This man’s flow is flawless.

One is a perfect example of good music merging with a great message. Second Sight’s desire to represent those that are often excluded is noble, and they do so with a set of pristinely sculpted sounds. The song is easy to immerse into and speaks to our better instincts throughout.

Boi Jaa (Abhilash Choudhury): A perfect song for a quiet, laidback afternoon of introspection. Guwahati-based singer-songwriter Abhilash Choudhury voices a song of the earth when he sings plaintively of the unceasing march of life. Love, loss, sadness, and fulfillment are mentioned, as the music video moves through shots of rural Assam life.

The song is almost meditative, with Abhilash offering a mix of melancholy and acceptance in simple, profound Assamese lyrics. There is a sense of resignation to the fact that life is bittersweet. The gentle charm of a sole guitar can delight and despair, much like the way life flows through joy and

sorrow without a care for those living it. At the end, life goes on, and there is not much more to be said of it.

Both the song and the video are colorful (in different ways) and comforting. The theme is familiar to anyone who listens, but coaxes the listener’s attention nonetheless. The listener feels like it is their story being told, and can simply relax as the chords and saxophone trickle by like a lazy river.

Order Vs Chaos (Ronin): Kolkata can welcome a legitimate new addition to its heavy metal landscape. Ronin’s debut four-track EP is vibrant, vicious and most importantly, skillful. The band largely takes its cues from metalcore aesthetics but manages to exhibit a few riffs that wouldn’t be out of place among lovers of Animals as Leaders. Bushido is undoubtedly the album’s crowning glory. Lyrics that mock and lament a broken world are married to an earth-shattering drum and guitar alliance that is incredibly cathartic. The track brings out rage and ominosity without compromising an ounce on breathlessly paced melodic play. The addictive hooks, matched with Randev Dey’s thunderous growls ferments a perfect allyship of beauty and brutality.

The Ascension is intense, almost trying to reach technical transcendence. In fact, the entire EP is about crafting tight, not-a-hair-outof-place shredding without losing missing out on variation. The music is polished, streamlining aimless aggression into righteous anger. Each track is worth a replay, maybe more. Simply at their debut, Ronin has put forth metal that means business.

Skies of Grey (Hollow Creed): Mangaluru based Hollow Creed has been touched by Tesseract in their second single. Starting with the essentials of atmospheric djent, they exhibit astonishing musicality in the first half of the six minute track. A hypnotic lull pervades, thanks in large part to the shimmering guest vocals by Nichelle Monteiro. The second half unfolds in screamometalcore-djent glory, with a set of chaotic breakdowns in tow. Ideally made for headphones, the song deserves many more listens than it has received till date. While there is not yet much to say about their instrumental technicality, Hollow Creed has still managed to offer a delicious experiment in dissonance.

Green Tea (Komorebi & Curtain Blue):

When listening to Curtain Blue (Abhishek Bhatia) and Komorebi (Tarana Marwah) individually, you can see how their musical aesthetics would fit. They don’t sound similar, but their sounds definitely have the potential to gravitate towards each other. Don’t take my word for it, of course. Simply listen to their new collaborative exercise “Green Tea”. Their sonic signatures to meet, swirl and settle in surprising ways. Each artist mellows their music, but not to compromise. Rather, they build a whole new specimen - one that combined Komorebi’s addictiveuplifting warmth with Curtain Blue’s honeyed half-baritone. Synth-pop meets a muted sexiness, peppered with Curtain Blue’s vulnerable lyricism. He’s singing about familiar things that are often forgotten - sitting with friends by a bonfire with stories about good times and shared experiences.

Apparently, much of the song came from the duo’s long-time listening to American electronica duo Sylvan Esso. There’s isn’t much similarity in the soundcraft, but one can probably hear the semi-chillhop aesthetic that relaxes the listener without missing out on musical intricacy - something Sylvan Esso seems to offer every time, effortlessly (or probably with enormous effort).

Green Tea is delightful. It is harmonic seduction, casual yet profound, calling listeners to partake in the simple romance of grooving to a great song.