Exclusive: Mumbai Alt/Funk Rock Quartet Nookie Jar’s Turbulent Debut Single ‘Paper To Pen’

If it’s not evident enough from the title, Nookie Jar’s debut song “Paper to Pen” was born out of “reverse engineering,” according to founder Joel Prabal.

The Mumbai-based alt/funk rock band’s frontman says, “Procrastinating about writing is not something I am new to.” He’s referring to his role as content communications at countrywide pub chain Social, but also mentions that he didn’t nitpick too much while writing their new single “Paper to Pen.”

After dissolution of his college rock band Froydn Slip in 2010, Prabal played several singer-songwriter sets featuring his own material. But Nookie Jar’s groovy new song was created as a band effort, after he’d met multi-instrumentalist Aarifah Rebello (who plays drums) and bassist Ralph Godinho in late 2016. The band got on board Brent Tauro (keyboardist) to complete the lineup last year. Prabal says about the songwriting process, “A lot of the initial songs we were playing from our original set list were things I had written as a singer-songwriter. ”˜Paper to Pen’ was kind of an instrumental because it was written for a proper four-piece setup. This was the first song where somebody had a melody, somebody added their parts, it was actually more ”˜what do you think works?’”

“Paper To Pen” artwork by Ruchita Bhoir

Recorded at Tauro’s home studio and at performance space The Habitat in Mumbai, “Paper to Pen” brings together slick basslines, heavy guitar parts and Prabal’s soaring vocals matching Tauro’s backing voice for a near-blissful effect. The track, whose music video is also in the works, is part of their upcoming yet-to-be-titled EP. Set to release in a few months, Nookie Jar intend to play more often and invite collaborators. After years of playing solo, Prabal says, “I realized it’s more fun with people on stage.”

Stream “Paper To Pen” exclusively on Rolling Stone India below: