EP Review: Tankbund ”“ Inside

Tankbund. Photo: Ranjan De

[easyreview cat1title = Inside cat1rating = 3.5 cat1detail = “Self released”]

‘Inside’ EP artwork

When Delhi electronica act Tankbund mentioned their new material was much more upbeat, we weren’t exactly expecting dance floor anthems, considering that the group’s debut self-titled album [released last year] was 15 shades of melancholy. But there’s a marked evolution in Tankbund’s sound on their new EP, Inside, which experiments with sounds that are perfect for a live show.

Opening with the all orchestral “Prelude,” Tankbund’s main composer Ritwik De moves into the dance-oriented title track, “Inside,” which is all cowbells and clap-tracks leading into a synth-heavy outro. With their debut album Tankbund, the group who got together in 2011, proved how trip hop and noise make for a great mash up. With this album, the fresh voices add diversity. Vocalist-keyboardist Tarana Marwah, who joined the band last year features on the dark, organ-led “Tres Bien,” while Delhi vocalist Samson Ezekiel adds his soul croon on “Don’t Stop.” And since De sings on “Inside” and vocalist-keyboardist Subhadra Kamath takes on “Fade,” there is no scope for fatigue to set in for listeners. Bassist Rohit Bhattacharya and drummer Ujjwal Kumar add a lot more to Inside EP than what is heard on the first listen. Kumar leads the psychedelic closing jam that is “Outside,” which makes us realize that even with four different vocalists on each song [both “Prelude” and “Outside” are instrumental], Tankbund can unplug the mic and impress just with their gear.

Inside comes across as a more stripped-down direction Tankbund is taking, which, for electronica artists, doesn’t mean including an acoustic guitar. There are less layers and more emphasis on honing music that won’t sound like an overdose of synth noise at one of their live gigs. Inside is less noisy and much more matured.

Key tracks: “Don’t Stop,” “Outside.”

Stream Inside EP below