Exclusive Premiere: Guwahati Synth-Pop Act Searomantics’ Bittersweet ‘Don’t Kiss Me Like A Lover’

If one could classify Guwahati synth-pop act Searomantics’ frontman Priyanuj Mazumdar as a melodramatic songwriter, it wouldn’t be a stretch, but the stories of angst, despair and all-round emo-ness are grounded in real life.

Their latest song, “Don’t Kiss Me Like A Lover” was birthed two years ago by a friend of the band who is currently diagnosed as bipolar and schizophrenic. Mazumdar says, “I write about things which are loosely or heavily inspired by personal moments, because that’s coming from the most honest place. I refuse to write about anything and everything just to seem ”˜diverse’ and ”˜intelligent’.”

Unlike the typical groovy synth and electropop sound they’ve presented ever since they started out in 2016 ”“ releasing Forgive Me, I’m a Dreamer EP early last year ”“ their new single takes from hip-hop cadences, rock riffs (courtesy of Manash Saikia) and orchestral heaviness. Mazumdar mentions the song’s main synth line is also influenced by “traditional Chinese melodies.” In the lyrics, Mazumdar draws references to everything from drugs to social anxiety to his “hatred for millennial behaviors,” he tells us.

The song is their third single off their second EP People Are Memories, following “Anonymous Lover” and “Comfort Me Tonight.” It stays rooted in reminding listeners of everything from gothic rock frontrunners The Cure to newer eclectic alternative act The 1975. With Mazumdar pursuing a course in creative writing in London, it’s going to be a remote release plan for the five-track People Are Memories, but he says the band will go live when he returns to Guwahati next year. With more videos in the works, he says the next turn for Searomantics involves taking “a minimalistic approach to making music.” Mazumdar adds, “2019 will definitely be the year when we will launch that missile we have spent years making. Whether it flies, or comes crashing down, only time will tell.”