Contra Raise A Toast to Rock & Roll on Debut EP

Nostalgia is clearly a big part of Contra, the Mumbai rock band founded by vocalist-composer Manas Jha and guitarist-songwriter Dean aka Nikhil Bhosle. After all, they take their name from the beloved shooter video game from the Eighties.

Their four-track self-titled debut EP pays homage to their favorites and you can hear everything from Stone Temple Pilots, Guns N’ Roses to Indian rock influences as well. Originally, Jha and Dean were part of the rock band Revolver in the early 2000s. Then, Jha moved to New York for professional commitments – although he began releasing music as a solo artist – and Dean founded a longboard skating crew in India.

They reunited and began jamming in April 2023, kicking off Contra as a new project with a lineup that has since undergone a few changes and currently includes drummer Natasha Nair and bassist Pankaj Kulkarni. At their upcoming launch gig in Mumbai on Oct. 27, Contra are bringing on a few guests from the Indian rock scene – multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter Sidd Coutto, guitarist, producer and singer-songwriter Siddharth Basrur (whose band Runt will also join the lineup), vocalist Shawn Pereira (from Blakc), guitarist-vocalist Teemeer Chimulkar and Aniket Waghmode (from thrash metal veterans Sceptre).

The show, billed as Half Life – Double Mayhem, also includes rock acts Daira and Runt (who also launched their new song “Too Smart” this week) on the lineup. “The title is a bit tongue in cheek – while the gaming reference is clear [Half Life is another classic first-person shooter video game], perhaps the lesser known fact is that I turned 40 in July. So Half-Life seemed apt,” Jha says.

The difference between Revolver and Contra now is that the former never went “beyond homemade demos,” according to Jha. However, two songs on Contra EP – “You Were There” and “Rain” – existed back in their previous band over a decade ago. They brought in Basrur to produce the EP, someone that Jha has collaborated with in the past on his solo song “Myrooh” from 2021 with electronic act FuzzCulture. Jha speaks about Basrur as a patient taskmaster who made sure all their studio takes hit the mark. Jha says about the process, “He’d spend a couple of sessions with us just to work on the basics of song structure, arrangement, tempo, and key. He’d then lay down the foundational drums and bass, and provide detailed guidance for the guitars and vocals. We’d practice over these tracks for weeks, and only then come into the studio to finalize takes.”

The band intends to play all four songs from the EP at the launch gig, plus Jha’s solo songs like “Abandon,” “Liberate,” “Bangles,” “Stay” and a few covers that tip their hat to grunge and punk eras.

With Jha now relocated from New York to Mumbai for good, the gig series Rock Raid Fest – which took place in May this year – will return with a winter edition in Mumbai, plus a multi-city tour with Contra. “For now, the band is the sole focus. My solo project is on hold,” Jha adds.       

Get tickets for Half Life – Double Mayhem ft Daira, Runt & Contra here. Watch the video for “Rain” below.