Mumbai Solo Artist Bipolar Junction to Release Debut EP

(left) Mohan Kumar with producer Rajesh Dass in Thrissur. Photo: Courtesy of the artist

During his college days spent playing with Kerala rock bands such as Aum and Asthra, guitarist Mohan Kumar also wrote his own music, something he’s been honing and reworking since the early 2000s. It’s only in the last two years that he has released any of that decade-old material, including a Hindi song called “Yeh Jo,” which was written in 2002, when Kumar wasn’t even entirely sure about his ability to sing in Hindi. Says Kumar, who is currently a freelance journalist, “I never knew I could write in Hindi. It’s very simple stuff [lyrics], but it came out of nowhere.”

Kumar aims to release music regularly under the moniker Bipolar Junction, a solo project that he began in 2012, and says that he wants to connect with “today’s audience.” From singing in English and Hindi to composing simple acoustic songs such as “Yeh Azadi” and electronica tracks such as “Chase ”˜Em (Tyler Durden)” and “Addiction,” the singer is building a repertoire for all kinds of playlists. Says Kumar, “I don’t stick to any rules. I called it Bipolar Junction because for me, it’s about writing music that balances the extremities in emotion. While “Yeh Azadi” was one of the first Bipolar Junction singles released two years ago, Kumar collaborated with Mumbai electronica artist Thom Square on “Blackholes,” which was released in January this year. Kumar records with his uncle Rajesh Dass, at the latter’s studio in Thrissur, Kerala, where Dass also adds guitar and bass, in addition to handling production on Bipolar Junction tracks.

A three-track EP, comprising songs only in English is currently in the works for Bipolar Junction. Kumar plans to follow it up with another EP with songs in Hindi, and hopes to compose Malayalam alt rock tunes for a separate EP as well. Says Kumar, “The Malayalam movie industry places a lot of importance on Malayalam-language bands and solo artists [to work on the soundtrack], so I might get a chance there as well.” For now, the upcoming Bipolar Junction EP, due in October, will include electro-acoustic and experimental music. Tracks such as the upbeat “Estranged New World,” “Good Riddance” and an electro track with the working title “History’s Mystery,” which will include the edakka, a traditional drum from Kerala in the percussion section, will make it to the EP. Says Kumar, “I’m also figuring out how to play the electronica stuff live as a solo act. A band is always difficult to keep together.”

Listen to Bipolar Junction here