Exclusive Stream: Hear Guitarist-Composer Nalin Vinayak’s New Prog-Pop Offering ‘Silverline’

After being pushed into music classes by his parents at the age of 11, New Delhi-bred guitarist-composer Nalin Vinayak now sees it as a blessing in disguise. He says, “I knew I’d be doing this for a long time.” In 2016, the artist picked up a diploma in Guitar Performance from Rockschool in the U.K. and more recently another one in audio engineering from Chennai’s KM College of Music and Technology. From early on, Vinayak knew he’d wanted to put a record out with various styles of music that inspired him over the years. Those influences can be heard on his eight-track debut album Fire, which he released earlier in 2020.

Not one to sit back, the musician is ready to follow it up with his latest prog-pop single, “Silverline,” which can be streamed exclusively on Rolling Stone India below.

While the new track features a prog-rock chord progression, Vinayak has presented the song in a saccharine pop setting accentuated with electric drum parts. “It’s an interesting combination I got to experimenting with and I enjoyed creating this little fusion,” says the composer. The track features vocalist Mayank Mittal from New Delhi outfit Kapow! and bassist Ayan Joe. Lyrically, the song ties in Nayak’s journey as an independent musician so far. He says, “The music follows the emotion of the lyrics closely.” Before the track closes, we hear a magnificent dual keyboard and guitar solo, that stands out in the song.

Nayak recorded, produced and mastered “Silverline” at his own Multimedia Studios in New Delhi. He says on collaborating with Mittal and Joe, “He’s [Mittal] done a terrific job and he’s gifted with a truly brilliant voice. Ayan had quite a tough job on this one, considering the bass really carries the weight of the emotive transitions as the groove remains constant throughout the track.” Nayak adds, “He came in and transformed my vision for the track considerably.”

While he preps more singles before his next album, the musician is looking at opening his studio up for commercial work. In addition, Nayak also wants to try his hands at composing for films and video games as well as sit in as a producer for other artists. He says, “I’m also eagerly awaiting the time when live gigs start up again.”

Stream “Silverline” below. The song is out on streaming platforms on November 8th.