Exclusive Stream: May Island’s Emotive EP ‘To Mend a Broken Mind’

New Delhi alt rock band May Island. Photo: Mansi Pal

You don’t find a lot of bands in India influenced by post-hardcore and metalcore bands like Underoath, Saosin and August Burns Red, but New Delhi’s May Island have found a way to channel that emotional and melodic intensity without necessarily being all-out metal. Vocalist and guitarist Vishnu Kumar says, “The way we are as singers, we couldn’t match to that music, so we tried something different.”

On their second EP To Mend a Broken Mind, the follow-up to 2015’s entirely instrumental Eleonora, Kumar, drummer Aaron Almeida and vocalist-guitarist Craig Godinho bring destructive energy amidst layered synth work and anguished vocals on four tracks. It also features a guest verse by rapper Jay Visvanath on “Footsteps,” whose lyrical idea for the song made the band explore hip-hop. Kumar explains the narrative that runs through the EP, “It’s about a person going through a lot in life and they’re broken. You want to do so much to help them but then by the end of it, you realize it’s helpless, a futile attempt.”

While Eleonora was instrumental, May Island turned to explore pop with their catchy single “Colours In Between” in 2016, which turned out to be just a one-off with guest vocals from Apoorv Dobral. Kumar says, “Aaron and I were confused about where this should go, but we knew we always had that chemistry with Craig. When we sat down to see where we’re going, it (the single) didn’t fit. May Island was founded with an influence of the music that I loved. I’ve explored that softer side separately now, in my solo project.”

Listen to ”˜To Mend a Broken Mind’ here