Hear New Delhi Project The Earflower Experiment’s Trippy New Song ‘Emerge’

As you near the 1:50 mark of New Delhi artist The Earflower Experiment’s psychedelic new single “Emerge,” you hear a thunderous splash of water, a tentative flow of the tide which is followed by the sounds of a person gasping for air. In frontman and founder Astaaq Ahmed’s vision, this is his song’s protagonist making the first leap to escape an ocean that represents a toxic relationship.

The singer and multi-instrumentalist, who worked with producer Aman Saxena on “Emerge,” says the song is about the time he was stuck in an awkward “relationship.” He adds, “The reason I say ‘relationship’ is because I honestly didn’t know what it was. I was really not getting anything out of it, and in many ways, it was actually turning out to be extremely detrimental.” In his bid to wait it out and hope that things got better, Ahmed says “hope was my biggest enemy.” He eventually communicated all his thoughts about the situation (“in extreme detail,” the singer says) and left, realizing soon enough that it was one of the “smartest decisions yet.”

The folksy, early prog-informed offering uses sound design cleverly, but is grounded in a steady strum of the guitar and simple beat, bringing in keys and delay-laden lead guitar portions. Intended as a dedication to all those stuck in similar situations, Ahmed lets go of the situation by the end of the song and sings in a learned way, “I’ve pushed past your lies now/I’m ready to grow.”

“Emerge” is The Earflower Experiment’s second single this year, following the politically conscious track “Make Amends” and 2018’s An Anecdote EP.

Listen to “Emerge” below. Stream on more platforms here.