Hindustan Times (Jalandhar)

Music of oceans beyond lockdown blues

- Aprajita Sharad

The four of us met while studying at the School of Planning and Architectu­re in Delhi,” shares Dhruv Dhingra, keys player and bass guitarist of Nowhere Station, a busking band that recently released a single, titled Oceans Beyond. This four-member band, comprising Rijul Singh, Anurag Hazarika, Anant Mital and Dhingra, has also crowdfunde­d an album, Nowhere Station One, to entertain people during the lockdown.

“Oceans Beyond describes an artist’s block, telling us to just take a step back and have faith in ourselves and the creative process,” says

Dhingra. To this, Mital, the band’s drummer adds, “The norm to make the most of this ‘extra’ time in lockdown has put pressure on artists to constantly put out content. We have seen artists succumb to this pressure, leading to depression and anxiety. This song is for anyone feeling this pressure.”

Though “being chased away from public spots” could never deter this busking band, the lockdown impeded their plans a little. “Our original plan was to release five singles in five cities — a single each month — culminatin­g in an album launch in Delhi in September. Due to the lockdown, we had to release the singles online. Now, anyone can stay updated about our releases by following our Instagram handle,” adds Dhingra.

 ?? PHOTO: SHUTTERSTO­CK ?? (L-R) Anurag Hazarika, Rijul Singh, Dhruv Dhingra and Anant Mital; (right) the album artwork for the single is designed by Pranay Dilawari
PHOTO: SHUTTERSTO­CK (L-R) Anurag Hazarika, Rijul Singh, Dhruv Dhingra and Anant Mital; (right) the album artwork for the single is designed by Pranay Dilawari

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