Last Minute India Build Into Pop and Burst Into Rock on Their Latest Song ‘Jaane Anjaane’

Mumbai rock band Last Minute India might be tackling the complexities of love yet again on their latest pop rock single “Jaane Anjaane,” but things around them have changed. The Hindi song, which clocks in just over two and a half minutes, is their first to release via a label, Hitz Music.

With that move comes the reach that Last Minute India have largely accrued organically in the past, by independently releasing their music and partnering with music platform Songdew. Bassist and songwriter Subodh Gupta says in a joint band call, “This time it’s a bit different because it’s not just an Indian indie crowd.” Drummer Yash Khona adds, “We’ve been getting messages pouring in and everyone is loving the song, but they’re often from people who have not heard the band or even indie music. They’re coming in like, ‘Dude, what is this song?’”

To their credit, “Jaane Anjaane” does sonically hit the spot when it comes to compact but impactful songwriting. Building up from gentle pop, the band – Gupta, Khona, vocalist Abdul Shaikh and guitarists Austin Furtado and Bhumit Gor – launch into a euphoric, arena rock-sized final movement. The song was written earlier this year with Gupta and Furtado starting it off. “Austin come came up with this beautiful guitar part that the song starts with; he just played that. And I was in the zone, because I had met this woman,” Gupta says. A press release for “Jaane Anjaane” explains that the song is “a beautiful tribute to the journey of a person who starts off as someone who is wary of love and evolves into an ardent believer of it.”

The song also leans into more production elements compared to Last Minute India’s previous releases such as “Rehnuma,” “Yaadein” and “Aao Na.” Khona adds about how they were thinking about packing it all into less than three minutes, “The entire focus was building on exactly what the song needs. Just that. And there was nothing extra – nothing less, nothing more. You know, our first song was a seven-minute track [“Nadaan”], so coming from there, a two or three-minute track was a major change for us. But I think it really fit well with us. We’re liking it.” Vocalist Shaikh adds, “It was a task but the thing is, that’s what the song needs. We love the process and everything.”

While it’s their first release via a bigger label like Hitz Music – a channel with nearly 4 million YouTube subscribers and working in film and series soundtracks as well – Last Minute India are keen to take things one step at a time. Gupta says, “We were approached by a few labels after we were part of the Spotify India RADAR program. We wanted things in our control as well, in terms of creative processes and remixes and things like that.” Revenue splits, creative control and marketing campaigns were part of the discussions that led Last Minute India to work with Hitz Music.

The band tailored their approach with the label and agreed upon a single release, leading with “Jaane Anjaane.” Last Minute India have at least three more songs in the vault, all demoed after the band took a year to focus on writing and recording. “So now we have a bank, which we’ll keep on releasing independently or through a label,” Gupta adds.

Watch the video for “Jaane Anjaane” below. Stream the song here.