Hoirong To Launch New Album ‘दण्डनीय अपराध’

(From left) Akhil Sood, Akshat Nauriyal, Samar Grewal and Kamal Singh
Photo courtesy of the artist

In February this year, musician Kamal Singh’s lo-fi/grunge project Hoirong transitioned from a solo experiment to a four-piece band based out of New Delhi. In the months that followed, the group has been hard at work on their new album दण्डनीय अपराध which showcases a more edgy, polished sound they call “dystopian disco punk.” Set to release on Independence Day, the 15-track album fuses the band’s attachment to Delhi with Hoirong’s signature punk-influenced alternative rock. Says drummer Akshat Nauriyal, “Kamal is a mad scientist. He’s got this knack for destroying things, he keeps them from being too peachy by tweaking things to sound dissonant. His melodies are in a pop format, but he presents them with a lot of thorns.”

A follow-up to The Resurrection of the Princess of Woe and Her Vampire Hound Posse, which released last year, दण्डनीय अपराध will feature dark basslines with layers of pop and electronica. Says Singh, “The electronica aspect is very strong and we wanted to have some fun and be ironic, sarcastic, whatever.” The band’s guitarist Akhil Sood and guitarist/vocalist Samar Grewal and Nauriyal will be more involved with this album. Adds Singh, “Our approach to the set up is relaxed, we don’t want to be too serious about what we’re doing, but the new album is more focused.” The track list will include songs such as “Chuna,” “Gentlemens Club Of Noida,” and “Sameer Aggarwal,” as well as the singles “Leprosy Rhymes With Therapy” and “Dacoits,” which were released today. Says Nauriyal, “We have a clear idea of the kind of music that we like or don’t like. That usually becomes an issue, but we’ve tried to find a common ground and this album reflects that. It’s a mash of all the styles that we’ve been influenced by.”

Hoirong already has a series of gigs lined up for the year, including the next edition of crowdfunded gig series Ctrl Alt Delete in Mumbai and a few free gigs that they intend to organize themselves. Says Nauriyal, “People who liked the previous album will take time to get into this, but that’s a good thing. It gives the impression that it shouldn’t be taken seriously; but if you do, then there’s a lot that you can take back from it.”

दण्डनीय अपराध  will release on August 15^th, 2014.

Listen to “Leprosy Rhymes With Therapy” and “Dacoits:”