Hear Ahmedabad’s Heat Sink Take to Jazz, Prog on Debut EP ‘Euphony’

Depending on how well-versed you are with your jazz, you may be surprised or intrigued to know that Ahmedabad act Heat Sink’s debut four-track EP Euphony is only 17 minutes long. Producer and bassist Raag Sethi explains that it’s part of their method to make music worth multiple listens. “Nothing should sound redundant,” Sethi says.

Heat Sink, which was founded by guitarist Chirag Todi as he was writing music sometime in 2017, started recording in 2018. Sethi, who runs Compass Box Studio in Ahmedabad and has produced several indie records from the region, was working with vocalists Meera Desai and Protyay Chakraborty (who also plays violin), keyboardist Nayan Kapadia and drummer Pritul Chauhan. “We wanted a tight, easy to listen to EP while taking references from jazz and prog rock,” Sethi says.

Euphony does in fact adeptly move from lightheaded jazz (“Time Lapse”) to a whimsical old-school style on “Impulse” and take a seemingly pop, accessible turn (“I’m Lost”) before driving into an emphatic, proggier sound on “Dark Light.” Although they have two vocalists, Heat Sink doesn’t really go for duets. Sethi explains that Desai – a singer-songwriter who released her own EP earlier this year – joined after Todi had written the first couple of songs. The producer adds that each voice has its own role, “Finding the vocal space to have Meera’s and Protyay’s timbres was an important production and compositional choice. We felt Meera’s range was perfect for ‘Impulse’ and ‘Time Lapse’ as the primary vocalist, and Protyay’s voice suited the prog side.”

The record was mixed and mastered by Stockholm-based engineer Thomas Juth, who also worked on Desai’s EP I’ve Never Been Happier To Be Lost. “The diversity of the songs and the compositional arrangements caught his eye,” Sethi says of the Latin Grammy award-winning engineer who’s worked with the likes of Luis Fonsi and Paul McCartney, among others.

The band are currently working with another seasoned producer, but closer home. As part of being selected among the Top 24 artists by Nexa Music, Heat Sink’s song “Volition” was reworked with help from mentor Clinton Cerejo and there are plans to shoot a music video next. Until then, Heat Sink have shows planned in Ahmedabad (on August 17th), Mumbai (August 20th) and Gurugram (September 13th). Sethi’s performance video series Compass Box Studio Live Sessions will introduce a new single. “We are going to start tracking for EP number two soon,” Sethi says.

Listen to Euphony EP below and on more platforms at this link.

Heat Sink ‘Euphony’ EP launch shows

August 17th – Footlights Theatre, Ahmedabad

August 20th – The Little Door Andheri, Mumbai

September 14th – The Piano Man, Gurugram