Exclusive Premiere: Jatin Talukdar Project’s Sparkling New Song ‘Seasons’

Composing two songs in the span of a week sounds like running a tough race, especially when you’re in the prog/instrumental rock space like Mumbai’s Jatin Talukdar Project. You could call it daunting – the guitarist-composer’s band was playing for the same crowd who came to see German metallers The Ocean tear it up on their India tour as part of gig series Unscene – but Talukdar says it was exciting.

The band – also comprising bassist Shawn Phulpagar and drummer Aritra Basu – performed “Seasons” and “Chapters” in January for the first time. “The thrill of playing this gig did make it work,” Talukdar says. The guitarist recorded his parts and in the course of a three-hour rehearsal session, they hashed out the sound. He adds, “To my surprise, it sounded groovy, and all of us were quite happy with the outcome.” After three jams, both “Seasons” and “Chapters” were ready. “I think this moment made us realize the great chemistry we shared together, and more importantly, being on the same page of songwriting, which is a very important factor for any band,” the guitarist adds.

The vibrant song, which clocks in at three minutes and 41 seconds, shows off a softer, perhaps more wistful side of the project, locked into a glittering guitar melody and a solid groove over intricate drum fills. It’s reminiscent of modern guitar acts such as Plini and Intervals, but maintains twists and turns that keep it fresh. Talukdar notes that he doesn’t really like to include shred elements, but focuses on “writing hooks and interesting melodies.” He adds with a laugh, “We even love to groove over straight 4/4 sections.”

The Jatin Talukdar Project is gearing up for their debut EP next, while the frontman has plans to go solo with an acoustic project, but says it’s “quite unofficial as of now.”

Listen to “Seasons” below.