Exclusive Premiere: Roshan George Thomas Trio’s Sentimental New Song ‘River’

A decade ago, Chennai guitarist, singer and composer Roshan George Thomas and his alternative band E Flat were winning competitions and even clinched the second spot in the band contest at IIT Madras’ college festival Saarang in 2009.

They released their album Parables of the Pariah in 2010 but it rightfully seems like a lifetime has passed since. E Flat is now the name of Thomas’ studio in Chennai, where he started recording songs with drummer Paul Daniel and producer-bassist Sahil Regi Mathew as the Roshan George Thomas Trio. The driving force, as described in the band’s bio, is “the unceasing quest for the groove.” While Daniel has previously performed with rock bands such as Mad Orange Fireworks, Mathew has played primarily with gospel bands and produced his own beat-tape EP called Penumbra.

Inspired by the likes of Snarky Puppy, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Dave Matthews Band and even Incubus, the trio’s fourth single “River” builds its way up from a laidback pop song to something (expectedly) groovy and sentimental. Thomas says “River” was written in 2015, stemming from “personal experiences of wistful longing from a parting of ways.” He adds, “From a lyrical point of view, ‘River’ is the figurative comparison to life and how via its constant meandering flow it connects us to experiences and memories, until the shared emotional weight of some of these circumstances between two people leads one to want to disconnect and wade onto the banks, rest and pause a while.”

Although it’s the fourth release from the trio, Thomas notes that six more singles have already been recorded and are being self-produced and mix-mastered at his E Flat Home Studio for release in 2020.

Listen to “River” below. Follow the artist here.