Delhi’s SundogProject To Debut In September

The SundogProject

Something tells us that members of the Delhi band SundogProject have spent a lot of time lolling around on the grass or on their terraces looking up at the sky while most others have been busy at their workstations. If any of you have had the luxury and scope (let’s not forget skyline defacing buildings here) to look up at the sky during the day, you’ll know how the Delhi experimental band got its name from bright spots of light that show up in the sky emulating an artificial sun. The band’s frontman and vocalist Rahul Das doesn’t tell us all this. Instead, he carps on about the addition of the word ”˜project’ to make the band name available on online accounts such as SoundCloud.

Taking SundogProject to the stage is right on top of Das’s mind right now. The band, which has been a studio effort for a little over two years, has been rehearsing for their stage debut for at least a year now. Since most members in the band are part of other bands, getting the entire band together has been a daunting task, admits Das. In 2010, Das started preparing demos for what would become SundogProject, and last year, he recruited Delhi’s metal notables such as guitarist Rahul Sainani and drummer Shardul Mehta [from nu-metallers Joint Family], bassist Anupam Roy [producer and guitarist with death metal band Narsil] and guitarist Viraj Mohan [from psychedelic/progressive rock band Another Vertigo Rush]. Says Das, “I wanted something like this for a long time. I’m just not a fan of getting my music out and promoting it. Anupam [Roy] was always after me to get it out there, though.”

Roy sifted through at least 90 rough ideas for songs written by Das before he joined the band. Says Roy about SundogProject’s new album, “We’re wrapping up mixes now and have about six songs ready and a whole bunch of demos.” The band’s first single “Parhelion,” which also takes its name from the scientific word for sundog, is sparsely arranged and recalls bands like the American industrial rock group, Nine Inch Nails.  However, Das insists that he wasn’t thinking of genres when he wrote the songs. Roy, on the other hand, adds, “There’s a strong pop foundation with regard to melodies and the industrial stuff is kinda there as well. More importantly, the songwriting is free flowing. Anything goes [with Sundog].” Roy is not making an offhand remark when he says “anything goes.” He has managed to make the band sound like a 22-piece symphony on “Face” with the help of a backing track and his nifty production skills. Das explains that pulling this off on stage would be a challenge that the backing track  and the band will step up to. “This [band] has never been a studio-only project,” says Das. 

SundogProject plan to begin gigging in September and release a few more singles including “Witching Hour,” another haunting industrial rock track, before they take to stage.

Watch SundogProject’s rehearsal video where they play “Witching Hour” 

Listen to SundogProject’s demos here