Exclusive Stream: Brooklyn Rock Band Minaxi’s Cathartic New Song ‘Ae Khuda’

Growing up in the outskirts of Mumbai in Nallasopara, Shrenik Ganatra was playing guitar since he was 19, giving it his time religiously almost every day. When he moved to the U.S. to study graphic design in Baltimore, Maryland, he came across a sound studio on campus. It started him on the journey to creating his rock band Minaxi in 2018, now comprising Liam Christian on bass and Steve Carlin on
drums.

Aided by his institute’s graduate staffer and recordist Patrick Hunt, Ganatra began picking up production chops and streamlined songwriting abilities across two years. The vocalist-guitarist says, “Eventually, a month before I was supposed to graduate in 2017, things fell into place. For the first time, I felt at peace with my songwriting and more importantly, I was able to translate a sonic idea in my head into a tangible music piece.”

Following a move to New York and juggling his design work, Minaxi was formed in June 2018 when Ganatra came across former drummer Andrew Coral’s ad posted at a rehearsal space. While they released their debut EP Zidd last year, it’s a prequel to their upcoming full-length album Khwab, releasing on March 13th. The end goal in terms of sonics, according to Ganatra, was to create a record to make “the listener feel as though they’re experiencing a sonic dream that flows from one end of the spectrum to another.”

Following their psychedelic single “Stargazer” earlier this month, there’s Minaxi’s first Hindi song released off Khwab, called “Ae Khuda.” Seemingly seething and prone to bursts of guitar and drums, the shoegaze song seems like an earnest plea to a god. Amongst the other songs on Khwab, there’s “Ishq” that will (appropriately) release on February 14th, followed by “Last Night” out on February 28th, which Ganatra calls “the heaviest song on the album.”

The immediate aim is to build a local following in New York City and the U.S., Ganatra hopes to reach places like Sofar Sounds, Rough Trade and Baby’s All Right for a start. He adds, “I do visit India once a year so given the opportunity, I’d love to play acoustic shows in Mumbai and beyond. To be honest, given our position in the local scene, we’re happy to take it slow and keep writing more music. Once we’re at a point where we’re making enough noise to break multiple doors open, we’ll happily consider touring internationally.”

Stream “Ae Khuda” below. Follow the band here and on Instagram.