Exclusive Premiere: Composer Āroh Offers Calm and Comfort on ‘Breathe’

Indian composer, guitarist and vocalist Harshit Arora aka āroh’s debut single “Breathe” comes as a timely reminder about the need to center and recalibrate oneself every now and then, as he’s seen doing in the music video, in which the artist roams his current home base Nashville.

He describes the song as one he created for himself and the world at large as well. Arora mentions in a statement, “In these times of uncertainty, trying to maintain sanity has been hard. Trying to battle negativity, in whatever sense, be it jealousy, anger or frustration has not been easy and has led to compulsions and coping mechanisms which have moved our focus from the present. This song is a call to reflect, to look around, and realize the fickleness of it all in nature. Dark will give way to light; till then just ‘Breathe.’”

Sonically, the track – which has been in the works for about a year – aims to soothe as well as bring about introspection. There are ambient soundscapes, but also flittering guitar work that’s reminiscent of progressive rock and math rock bands. Arora’s vocals are laid over the lush arrangements, making “Breathe” difficult to categorize into one particular style. The artist says, “The plan is to keep creating music that forces you to not pigeonhole the sound and experience the different sides of āroh.”

Arora, who is currently studying music composition at Belmont University in Nashville, has previously been part of the band One Last Memory, who also endeavored to escape genre labels. The five-member act released their most recent single “Changes” in 2020, featuring bassist Krishna Jhaveri from prog band Skyharbor.

Watch the video for “Breathe” below. Stream the song here.