Exclusive Stream: Delhi Grunge Rockers Soul Inclination’s Debut EP

Delhi grunge rock band Soul Inclination – (from left) Nishant Hagjer, Shashank Bhatnagar, Puneet Vohra and Ashish Sharma. Photo: Srijan Mahajan

There’s a different side to the hulking Shashank Bhatnagar when he’s not shredding his vocal chords for groove/tech metallers Undying Inc. For grunge rock band Soul Inclination, Bhatnagar channels his Nineties upbringing. Says Bhatnagar, “I have always wanted to explore myself more as a musician, classic rock/grunge music just so happens to be my long lost lover.”

Soul Inclination, who came together with a different lineup in 2014, are led by guitarist Puneet Vohra and completed by bassist Ashish Sharma. Bhatnagar, along with fellow Undying Inc. drummer Nishant Hagjer, joined in late 2015. Vohra, who founded the band as the lead vocalist, says, “Most of the songs in this EP are written and composed by me, as these songs were recorded earlier with the previous lineup. We had to change all the parts except the guitars.”

Listen to Soul Inclination EP here

The band recorded with ace producer Keshav Dhar [from prog band Skyharbor] at Illusion Audio, with drums being recorded by Hagjer at Lucid Recess Studio in Guwahati and Delhi’s Studio Fuzz. Hagjer says about joining the band, “It started out with my interest to try another genre out and having another reason to play more drums. Little did I know that the band chemistry would work really well.”

Soul Inclination EP artwork by Gaurav Basu aka Acid Toad

There’s an immediate connection listeners can make from the opening song “Who’s Your God?” to the likes of Soundgarden, Bhatnagar sounding every bit like Chris Cornell, although he does bring out the growl on the heavy-as-ever “Return To Self,” for which they will release a music video. Bhatnagar mentions that the subject matter of the song is just as dark as the slow-burn guitars. “The song is loosely based on a few small parts of my life, when I was going through certain suicidal tendencies. I was younger, of course. It’s a song I wanted to hear back in those times. It’s about my mental war, with my will to kill myself.” Bassist Sharma adds, “The way I see it, it’s about how you’ve got to live for yourself. Yes, life at times can be hard. We all face the harshness, but resorting to any extreme measure that could possibly be hurting you or your loved ones is not worth it.”

The band takes a turn down a more melancholic path on the acoustic-led “Running Today” and the eerie instrumental closer “Born of a Sun.” Grunge is still relevant to the band, who have now polished it up and offered its energy and aggression in a new package. Says Vohra, “The best part is how amazingly they [grunge bands] have shared their personal stories and social issues with their songs which can just stay in your mind and heart forever. I could just feel an instant connect with their music. So why not to open ourselves and share what we feel in whatever way we want to?”

Watch a teaser for the “Return to Self” video