Hear Mumbai Ambient/Psych Band Kehkasha’s Swirling Debut EP ‘Shunya’

Even in the frantic pace of metropolitan living, a band like Kehkasha were drawn to creating ambient/psychedelic rock on their debut EP Shunya. Vocalist-guitarist Terence D’Souza says, “Kehkasha’s music resonates the feelings of the city. The sort of numbing, anesthetic feeling which one craves in the hustle of a crowded metro. Our music is the antidote to the anxiety that big cities are soaked in.”

Which is part of the reason why they named their EP Shunya, referring to nothingness. The band, who came together in 2016, were born out of the dissolution of rock band RADIO. They settled into this woozy, melancholic but polished ambient/psychedelic sound. Although they’ve performed on and off in Mumbai and places such as Raipur, bassist Arjit Johri does admit it’s been an “uphill task” to get promoters’ and venues’ attention.

Kehkasha has released videos to warm reception, however, including the seductive, downtempo “Rooh,” the upbeat “Intezaar” and the wistful “Ruhaniyat” since 2017. The remaining two songs – “Silsilay” with its warm, flowing production and “Manmarziyan” bringing together a guitar loop and electronic elements – showcase Kehkasha’s wavy, mind-bending best.

Mining data from the release of the EP so far, Kehkasha are currently putting together an album launch tour that goes beyond the usual metro cities. Johri says, “In the first leg, we plan to cover cities like Bengaluru, Pune, Hyderabad, Delhi and Ahmedabad. In the second leg, we want to take our music to cities like Kolkata, Jaipur, Guwahati. We realized (to our surprise) that one of our songs, ‘Intezaar,’ is garnering lots of streams from even a non-Hindi speaking state like Kerala so we might decide on a venue in Kochi too.”

Listen to ‘Shunya’ EP below and on more platforms here.