Exclusive Stream: New York Trio Minaxi Offer Hindi Shoegaze on ‘Sehra’

Rounding off the last of their three EPs which form The Zia Fantasy trilogy of releases, New York alt-rock band Minaxi dive into a nostalgic yet optimistic psychedelic sound on their latest single “Sehra.”

Taken off their third EP Noor (out on November 27th), Minaxi have certainly had a prolific time during their shelter-in-place owing to the coronavirus pandemic. Previous EPs such as Luna and Isra were released in June and September, respectively, with a string of music videos. “Sehra” for its part, carries forward the distinct visual language of Minaxi and The Zia Fantasy, with superimposed layers and monochromatic footage of nature and members — guitarist-vocalist Shrenik Ganatra, songwriter-guitarist Liam Christian and drummer Steve Carlin — performing. 

Ganatra calls “Sehra” an optimistic love song, citing works such as “Tanha Dil” by pop singer Shaan, composer A.R. Rahman‘s soundtrack for Bollywood film Delhi-6 and rock bands like Jal and Strings as influential. “Given how uncertain everything is (and was at the time of writing ‘Sehra’) right now, one can either give in and feel all the negativity or, for the sake of irony, revisit the positive emotions and remember all the things and activities that bring them,” Ganatra says. 

All fourteen tracks that are part of The Zia Fantasy were written and executed in the span of a few months earlier this year, something that Christian describes as “purely works of fun at their core.” He adds, “In my head, the EPs each represent the past, present, and future, as we felt it then, or similarly, a beginning, middle, and end of the pandemic.” 

Not ones to slow down, Minaxi are already working on a new EP, slated for release early next year. Ganatra adds, “It marks the new era for the band and leads us into our sophomore LP, which we are scheduled to begin recording in January.” Recounting their time in isolation, drummer Carlin notes that he’s grateful for a “creative outlet in a world that is currently offering very of them.” He adds, “The only challenging thing about playing is that we can’t play live shows! I’m looking forward to reconnecting with the music community when this is all over.”

Watch the video for “Sehra” below. Stream more videos off ‘The Zia Fantasy’ trilogy here.