Hear Groovedarshan’s Enigmatic Debut Single ‘Namaste’

After housing themselves at music and lifestyle space Adagio in Mumbai for a week last year, indie group Groovedarshan—comprising vocalist-guitarist/bassist Aditya Ashwath, guitarist/bassist Pankaj Tak, drummer Shabarish Garg and guitarist/bassist Yash Chittal—set out to write one song a day. On day three, they wrote the quirky and dazzling “Namaste”—a track they’ve recently released as their debut single.

The mainly instrumental offering includes dynamic sections, a punchy bassline and groove as well as melodic guitar lines. Ashwath’s glistening vocals enter the fray for just one verse which according to the band “welcome listeners to a wild ride through the journey of the song.” Tak adds, “The word ‘Namaste’ and the gesture are widely used throughout the Indian subcontinent as a form of greeting, acknowledging and welcoming. This inspired the group to name our debut release as ‘Namaste’ and celebrate a new beginning by welcoming listeners to the sonic and visual world of Groovedarshan.”

Through the track, the versatile band explores various sonic palettes such as psychedelia, funk, jazz, blues and more. “The song feels very surreal and abstract to us in terms of a storyline,” says Tak.

Co-produced by Ashwath and Tak, writing and recording “Namaste” overlapped during the band’s stay at Adagio, except for guitar parts the group rerecorded at audio engineer Sundaresh Sankrith’s home studio. Sankrith also mixed and mastered the song.

Next, the band is plotting a music video for the track and are also lining up merch to sell. Groovedarshan are even keen on getting back to playing gigs. Tak says, “We lean more towards playing gigs offline and we are hoping to play a few as soon as things are safer.” 

Stream “Namaste” on Spotify below and on other platforms.