Hear New Delhi Band Coordinates Take to Journeying, Brutal Prog on ‘Alive’

Sure enough, the onset of psychological anguish in the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has led to some topical music. In the case of New Delhi band Coordinates, not only did the members come together during a nationwide lockdown early last year, but they also wrote and recorded their debut release, aptly titled “Alive.”

Comprising guitarists Yash Sharma and Surbhit Singh, Coordinates is completed by drummer Rishabh Kapoor and vocalist Kamaljit Singha and they deliver a progressive rock/metal track that ticks all the boxes – from atmospheric verses and lamenting vocal melodies to dexterous rhythmic work. Perhaps taking a cue from Indian prog frontrunners such as Skyharbor, “Alive” is coursing with polished prog energy that steadily swells to hard hitting grooves, a bit of dissonance and growls.

Although it can be looked through the lens of the pandemic, Coordinates’ emotive songwriting about being “haunted by the vacant mind” is – in their words – representative of “reliance, expectations and one’s constant need for endearment.” The band adds in a statement, “It talks about how, when vulnerable, humans tend to seek motivation far and wide but within themselves.”

While Sharma and Singh were known to each other from their music society in college, Kapoor was a longtime friend who is currently based in Vadodara. Sharma says about the formation of Coordinates, “Kamaljit stays in Guwahati and we found him through one of his vocal covers that he’d shared on his Instagram profile. I dropped him a text asking if he’d be potentially interested in making music together and he agreed almost instantly.”

Coordinates had previously put out a demo called “Featherweight” on their YouTube page, which garnered encouragement and nearly 4,000 views. The quartet are now working on future material, slowly gaining the comfort level to be more honest about criticism and feedback amongst themselves. Sharma adds, “We have a shared folder on the cloud where we upload and exchange ideas on a defined project template, which makes our writing and recording process very efficient and streamlined. We keep in touch via WhatsApp and video conferencing, it’s really like being in a long distance relationship.”

Hear “Alive” below. Stream/buy on other platforms here.