Exclusive Release: Protocol Return With Prog Expertise on ‘An Honest Conversation’

If there’s one thing that’s considered a lyrical cornerstone in progressive rock, it’s introspection and self-discovery. Mumbai band Protocol get a handle on this perfectly on their anguished, emotional new single “An Honest Conversation.”

The track is their first since the groovy “Alive,” which released two years ago, and comes with quite a bit of activity for the band who had otherwise laid low. “We’ve grown with time on our sound and our musicality. This is a product that we are really happy with after a lot of soul searching,” says guitarist Desikan Gopalan.

“An Honest Conversation” is also the first to feature keyboardist Rahul Kannan, the latest addition to Protocol. Kanan joined in 2016, to balance out vocalist Shweta Venkatramani’s vocals, according to Gopalan. The band is completed by guitarist Sandesh Rao, bassist Vivian D’Souza and stand in drummer Nachiket Karekar.

“An Honest Conversation” mines the band’s influences from Katatonia to TesseracT, featuring Venkatramani’s sublime, soaring vocals, catchy and intricate guitar work that eventually trudge into heavy territory with groovy drums and slick basslines.

”An Honest Conversation” is the first song from the band’s upcoming yet-to-be-titled eight-track debut album. The new single was recorded at Kannan’s home studio as well as produced, mixed and mastered by the keyboardist. “There is a lot of effort that has been taken to write this album but most importantly you need a calm and level-headed individual sitting at the helm and thankfully we found that in Rahul,” explains Gopalan.

Listen to “An Honest Conversation” below: