Fresh Indie Fridays #71

Bulli Bainbridge – Seasons (feat. Various Artists) 

After teasing his debut album with two singles at the end of 2022, Mumbai-based producer Zain Calcuttawala aka Bulli Bainbridge has now released the seven-track Seasons. The record includes a host of collaborators such as vocalist Shalmali Kholgade, rapper Bob Omulo aka Bobkat (from reggae/hip-hop group Bombay Bassment), singer Anusha Ramasubramoney aka Nushious (one half of singer-songwriter duo Second Sight), seasoned vocalist-producer Siddharth Basrur, multi-faceted artist Trichia Grace-Ann Rebello, vocalist-guitarist and producer Ankit Dayal (from alt-rockers Spud in the Box) and Nigerian producer Ade. Calcuttawala’s vision mixed with his collaborators’ exceptional talent shape the record into an immersive listen that is filled with elegant orchestral arrangements, slick R&B moments, striking hip-hop offerings as well as wholesome ballads. The album was written during the lockdown, and Calcuttawala said in a statement, “Seasons underscores the harder existential questions we invariably asked ourselves, situations we found ourselves in, and mental health. These include the feelings of numbness, self-doubt, grief, anger, and even triumph.” 

drēokt – PLATO’S CAVE 

Audio-visual artist Yatharth Roy Vibhakar aka drēokt had been working on his 16-track ethereal album PLATO’S CAVE for 10 years. Recently released, the record is built brick by brick as a soundtrack or a musical score for a movie. The artist uses unorthodox soundscapes and his creative freedom to play around and manipulate the music in a manner that makes it peaceful yet emotional. In a statement, drēokt said, “PLATO’S CAVE takes inspiration from multiple points and metaphors, the leading sources being the allegory – Plato’s cave, the birth and death of a volcano, and personal experiences. The album is meant to be experienced in a modular format – having the listener make a track list that feels most personal to them for their interpretation of the album, rather than the standard form of A-Z narratives, calling back to the concept of the allegory.” 

Vandita Narayan – “Tripped On A Stone” 

Bengaluru singer-songwriter Vandita Narayan’s newest offering is the acoustic-pop track called “Tripped On A Stone.” The song features an upbeat ukulele while other production elements beef up the song to make it the chirpy and melodic one it is. Narayan on her part offers balmy vocals and she said in a statement, “The track’s overarching story revolves around wading through emotions in order to understand about a certain special someone.” 

Mr. GnG – EPonymous 

Ahmedabad-based vocalist-guitarist Ishan Dave and France-based drummer-keyboardist Abhilash Sreekumar’s rock duo Mr. GnG’s scintillating five-track debut EP EPonymous comes filled with hard-hitting rock-meets-metal tracks, melancholic ballads and more. The riff heavy record also features some stellar vocals across the songs and a hands-on production touch from the band.