FuzzCulture Plot Full-Length Album

FuzzCulture in Delhi in January. Photo: Dhruv Sethi

Delhi electro rock duo FuzzCulture have shown no signs of slowing down ever since they released their debut EP Indulge.Divulge in August last year. This, despite the band’s drummer Srijan Mahajan, who also plays with Delhi rock band Parikrama, being away for six months at the Musicians Institute in California. FuzzCulture’s guitarist, producer and vocalist Arsh Sharma, also with experimental rock band The Circus, says Mahajan’s stint in California was “very well planned out,” with his Circus bandmate Anshul Lal filling in at live gigs. Sharma was also working on new material on his own, writing basic structures and stems for their six-track full-length album, due in November this year.

FuzzCulture, formed in 2011, by childhood friends Sharma and Mahajan, were among top nominees in the Best Emerging Act at the ninth Jack Daniel’s Annual Rock Awards and also picked up nominations at South East Asia’s AVIMA [Asia Voice Indie Music Awards]. FuzzCulture went on to perform at the AVIMA awards show in Kuala Lumpur in March this year. Says Sharma, “A lot of people found out about us because of that [AVIMA] gig. We’ll be booking more international gigs by the end of the year.” Their album will be ready in time for their shows abroad, according to Sharma, who describes new material as “more hook-oriented.” While Indulge.Divulge established FuzzCulture as one of the loudest, energetic duo, the upcoming yet-to-be-titled album takes it a notch higher. Says Sharma, “We didn’t take a break after the EP. We wrote about 15 songs and they’ve got a real rock ”˜n roll groove.”

Sharma mentions that FuzzCulture has gone “back to its rock roots rather than stay in the electro zone,” moving between everything from industrial rock to electro pop [“With Open Eyes”] and even straight-up punk rock. Says Sharma, “We’re an electro band, but not from the electro scene, so that’s why we can play around with samples a lot.” Tracks such as “Astronomy,” “Feeble Minds, Blank Faces,” and “Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing,” which the duo has performed live before, will be included on the album. Says Sharma, “We’ve got ”˜Astronomy’ as the lead single and we’re shooting a video for it as well.”