Bandcamp Friday Picks: Street Academics, Kumail, Antt and More

The first Friday of April brings us to the latest iteration of Bandcamp Friday, on which the global music platform and marketplace forgoes its share of sales so that all money spent by fans on releases, merchandize and more, go directly into the artists’ pockets. Now running for over a year, there have been millions raised and with the pandemic still limiting many traditional avenues of income for musicians, making a buy on Bandcamp Friday is one certain way to support your favorite bands, producers and artists. Here are a handful of new releases from India’s independent music circuit for you to pick from: 

Antt — Esoteric Misanthropy

Assam-origin, Bengaluru/Guwahati-based guitarist Vikram Ghosh Roy aka Xoitaan and vocalist Siba aka Telal Xul have previously lorded over stages with black metal band Antakrit and their new project Antt seems to be an offshoot, even though it does deliver polished, harrowing extreme metal on the debut record Esoteric Misanthropy. There are elements of Assamese folk as well, seared into molten blast beats and heightened shredding.

Auteurhead — “Light In a Droid Heart” 

Although he’s stuck to the visual design side of music for a few years now, bassist Reuben Bhattacharya aka Visual Amnesia returned to the composing side of things with his new project Auteurhead. He’s unleashed a shimmering yet crushing mix of industrial rock and synthwave on his debut track “Light In A Droid Heart,” which digs into harsh beats but also a triumphant saxophone lead and unraveling synth leads. 

Fopchu — Tall Tales

When New Delhi electronic duo Fopchu performed at the virtual edition of Bacardi NH7 Weekender in December, they devised new tracks to go with a bizarre yet funny narrative of the show. Featuring ska band The Ska Vengers’ founder Stefan Kaye, Fopchu deliver cheeky, dance-pop tunes on Tall Tales.

Kumail — All Night/Without You

Following the release of his album Yasmin in 2019, producer Kumail Hamid takes the slow funk route with a pair of tracks called “All Night” and “Without You.” Kumail holds down an undoubtedly head-bobbing, shimmering funk rhythm, but there’s also a bit of soul and synth-pop in the mix, topped over vocoder vocals, all of which makes it perfect for a late night listen. 

Street Academics — “Walayar”

Calling in beatsmith Pakarcha Vyadhi for a sample-friendly old-school hip-hop banger of a track, Malayalam hip-hop crew Street Academics bring the heat on their latest track “Walayar.” The song stitches together verses that rappers Haris Saleem and Imbachi have all been performing at gigs previously and was written right after the release of their 2019 album Loop.

morèno ft Pruthvi — “Fever Dreams”

Among the newer releases put out by Mumbai music management company Krunk’s label Krunk Kulture, Mumbai producer morèno aka Prajyot Meshram teams up with singer-songwriter Pruthvi Dhawale for a warped electronic track called “fever dreams.” There’s aptly surreal buildups, guitar scratches and glitchy elements to go over Dhawale’s warm, escapist vocals.