Exclusive Premiere: May Island’s Mournful Single ‘Ripped Apart’

It’s closing in on a year since New Delhi rock band May Island performed at Bacardi NH7 Weekender in Pune, the four-member band occupying a gigantic stage that would later be taken over by the likes of American mathcore act The Dillinger Escape Plan and Dutch metallers Textures.

Frontman Vishnu Kumar says the set gave them a boost in terms of “motivation,” considering they’re at a point ”“ like most independent bands in the country ”“ that demands juggling corporate jobs with band time. Kumar adds, “It gives you perspective on the incredible talent in the music scene, where we stand, and what we should be doing to get to the next level.”

May Island are now plotting as many shows outside the capital as possible, bringing forward not just post-hardcore influenced sounds of their last EP To Mend a Broken Mind (2017) but also new material. The first of three singles set for release is “Ripped Apart,” a dark, grieving track that’s laced with electronic undertones that’s been entirely self-produced.

Kumar agrees that some of the electronic elements tie back into their debut EP Eleonora (2015). “We’ve loved electronic undertones [”¦] Being able to self-produce allows us to get more detailed with electronic samples and sonic elements that we weren’t thinking about enough earlier. Kind of like more freedom to experiment with stuff,” he says. Vocalist-guitarist Craig Godinho co-wrote the lyrics for the song, which was composed right after their last release. Kumar calls it “possibly the darkest lyrical theme we’ve explored so far.” He adds, “But it could get even more intense from here.”