The F16s Hit The Studios To Begin Work On Their Debut Album

(right) The F16s’s keyboardist Harshan Radhakrishnan and vocalist-guitarist Josh Fernandez with sound engineer Santhos Nataraja (left) at Suguna Studio, Bengaluru. Photo: Courtesy of the band

The F16s have had a very busy 2013 with a packed gig schedule promoting their much-appreciated debut EP Kaleidoscope, touting them as one of the artists to watch out for. The electro rockers played at major festivals and competitions in the country last year, including the Bengaluru leg of Nh7 Weekender, Magnetic Fields Festival [Rajasthan], GoMad Festival [Ooty], Hornbill International Rock Contest [won 2^nd runners up and best keyboardist] and IIT Powai’s Mood-I, where they bagged the Best Vocalist, Guitarist, Bassist, Drummer and Keyboardist. At Mood-I, the band won free recording sessions at Suguna Studios in Bengaluru, which commenced their debut album recording.

Says keyboardist Harshan Radhakrishnan, “We’re only recording one or two songs in Bengaluru. We didn’t want to pass up that opportunity to record for free. We are yet to start full-blown recording for the album. We’re not sure when that will happen, but we’ve started working on it.” The band has already written eight to 10 tracks and also plan on releasing a single in March along with a video. For the single, The F16s are yet to decide whether “Lunar Zep” or “Farfisa Where Are You” will be released first.

This album will also see guitarist Abhinav Krishnaswamy [previously with The Shakey Rays] step in on lead guitar in place of Viraj Yesudas. Says Radhakrishnan, “From Kaleidoscope to now, we’ve really matured as a band with our song writing and the soundscape. It has really come together. With Abhinav coming in, we’ve really gelled as a band and we’ve found our own footing with this lineup. We’re also going to take our time in the studio and produce a detailed album which will sound big.”

As for their gigging, the band are following a reverse cycle. They plan on breaking into the college circuit this year as they’ve already covered most of the major gig venues in the country last year. The F16s will next perform at Amaranta’s The Music Festival in Chennai on the 18^th of February.

Watch The F16s in the studio recording “Little Forest Cry” below and watch out for another one soon as a precursor to their single release.