The 10 Best Indian EPs of 2022

10. Zyakuni in My Backyard – Zyakuni in My Backyard 

Indian rock really was waiting for someone to make a no-nonsense, driven record and it’s a surprise that it comes from the capital where live bands are often parched for gigs and sharpening their sound. Zyakuni in My Backyard offer a lot of diversity on their five-track self-titled debut EP. There’s a wedding song of sorts in the form of “Parking Lot,” followed by a dreamy, ballad-like “Missing Bridge.” In the vein of artists like Phoebe Bridgers, Zyakuni in My Backyard are painstakingly bare and yet refined in their craft on lo-fi songs like “2 Glow: Fade,” but amp it up marvelously and theatrically on “Eliza’s Cure” and “Storm,” rounding off a diverse rock record from a scene that was really lacking in the recent past. – AT 

9. Raja Kumari – HBIC  

As if it wasn’t enough to adapt Alisha Chinai and Biddu’s indie-pop hit “Made In India” into a resolve-building hip-hop banger, Raja Kumari released her EP HBIC (that’s Head Bitch In Charge, if you’re asking) as the inaugural offering from her own label, Godmother Records. Songs like “Manifest” cover familiar ground thematically, but the singer-songwriter and rapper takes stock of how she’s on a whole new level. Raja Kumari needs the world to know where she’s at and she has assistance from KR$NA (“On”)  and Shah Rule (“The Don”) for a glittering, club-friendly record that’s made on her own terms, just like she always wanted. – AT 

8. Shreyas Iyengar – OST 

Pune-based multi-instrumentalist Shreyas Iyengar’s pandemic project Tough Times might have offered a lot of contemplation and succor when it came out in early 2021, but the artist managed to keep the storyteller in him going with his second record, OST. A deeply introspective record made with help from regular collaborators like vocalist Pratika Gopinath, Jayant S. on bass, percussionist Varun Venkit and guitarist Vinay Kaushal, OST is groovy, jazzy, dexterous and soulful in all the right measures. It’s the kind of modern jazz you want to hear coming out of India and Iyengar is keeping the faith. – AT 

7. Frizzell D’Souza – The Hills Know Of You 

Mangaluru/Bengaluru singer-songwriter Frizzell D’Souza sings of self-love on her five-track debut EP The Hills Know Of You. The record leans towards the musician’s delicate and acoustic brand of music through which she evokes plenty of emotion via her poignant vocal delivery and the lyrics penned, as well as the melancholic sonic arrangements of the songs. – DB 

6. Hashbass – Fruits 

New Delhi-bred and Mumbai-based electronic artist and bassist Harshit Misra aka Hashbass has stepped out from holding the low end for other artists this year and instead released his debut solo instrumental EP, the six-track Fruits. Apart from the record’s quirky name and song titles, it’s packed with juicy moments featuring synths, grooves, tons of exciting bass parts and vocal samples. – DB 

5. Udbhav – Milansaar 

Although New Delhi singer, songwriter and rapper Udbhav now thrives under the moniker Nanku, he did start off 2022 with one of the definitive Indian hip-hop EPs, Milansaar. From adrenaline-fueled chase sequence-mimicking songs like “Vaayu Mein” to strummed, lovesick pop like “Milansaar” and meditative, Indian classical and sitar-informed turns like “Sangam,” Udbhav becomes a different kind of artist on every track. “Machla,” the closing song, is a bop that looks inward but also shows off how naturally playful the artist is with his Hindi-English lyricism. While Nanku is running with pop moves, Milansaar arguably has set the groundwork for a formidable new voice in the new wave of Indian hip-hop. — AT 

4. Murder In Space – Welcome Home 

New Delhi/Shillong instrumental rock duo Murder In Space – comprising guitarist Andrew Kamei and bassist Romeo Kom – bring together a variety of soundscapes on their instrumental rock debut EP Welcome Home. The musicians juxtapose different genres to form a signature rock sound that includes plenty of guitar-driven sonic elements. The pair blend emo post-rock, math-rock and pop-rock to create a vibrant sound across six tracks. There’s riffing, melodic movements, groovy sections as well as catchy and hooky parts that make the EP an exciting listen. – DB 

3. Isheeta Chakrvarty & Viveick Rajagopalan – Ek Sutra 

Mumbai-based singer-composer Isheeta Chakrvarty and composer-producer and percussionist Viveick Rajagopalan conjure a sonic language like few others on their collaborative EP, Ek Sutra. Intended to unravel like a thread of stories, journeys and sonic excursions, they’re joined by formidable players to weave their way across songs of mysticism and devotion in Hindi and Marathi (“Celebration”). Tracks like “Surrender” and “Recognition” add an atmospheric, spacey edge that play with silence, while “Ode To The Devi” lets guitarist Ria Modak paint a contemplative streak of melodies for Chakrvarty’s versatile way with vocals. – AT 

2. Shipperman – Hymns for the Drunk 

Matching his love for artists like Bon Iver as well as experimentalists like Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Mumbai-based singer-composer Sunneith Revankar broke new ground with his solo project Shipperman’s debut EP Hymns for the Drunk. Every repeat listen of the 13-minute, five-track record creates a new kind of comfortable sense of vulnerability (“Roju,” “Football Season Is Over”) that isn’t fetishized. Joined by guitarist-producer Angad Bhatia, multi-instrumentalist composer and producer Siddharth Basrur, and guitarist-producer Shezan Shaikh (who helms synth project Ronin), Hymns for the Drunk is the best dose for cozy melancholy. – AT 

1. Easy Wanderlings – Caught in a Parade 

Eight-piece Pune soul/easy-listening group Easy Wanderlings showcase much more of their modern soul and funk side on the five-track Caught in a Parade. The EP has a moment for every kind of listener that the band have carefully catered to. There are heartfelt and mellow sections, captivating songwriting, lush vocal textures throughout and clever production nuances. Also on show is slick musicianship, whether it’s a funky bassline, melodic guitar solo or drum grooves adding spice to a song, to just controlling dynamics to a tee, while there’s even music to get you off your feet and move. – DB