The four-track record houses everything from catchy tunes to melancholic ditties
Mumbai pop-rock band Strike Three released their debut EP 'Esssentia' today. Photo: Vivek Nayak
Who says being a jack of all trades makes you a master of none? Keyboardist Brent Tauro and his band Strike Three couldn’t care less about these notions. On their debut EP Esssentia, the Mumbai-based group has experimented with every style possible””from pop, jazz and rock–just to prove this point. Says Tauro, “We wanted to explore where all we could probably go and also show the public that this band can do ”˜this, this and this.’”
The band, comprising Tauro, vocalist Craig Fernandes, guitarists Shannon Ponnoth and Oswin Telis, bassist Izil Rodrigues and drummer Vimog Barboza, released their upbeat debut single “Perfect Foolish Woman” in 2015. After making a mark for themselves on the college circuit, Strike Three are looking to woo the gig-hopping indie music enthusiasts, and having a record to their name is only natural. Says Tauro, “We were composing original after original, and it dawned upon us last year to release an EP.”
‘Esssentia’ EP artwork by Neil Dutta
Recorded at Tauro’s home studio, Esssentia is the coming-of-age story of a boy. The EP opens with the guitar-driven “For Tonight,” which chronicles the boy’s anxieties and anticipations ahead of a date. A new version of their old single “Perfect Foolish Woman” follows next, this time jacketed in jazz and sporting funky guitar licks. The third track is the six-and-a-half minute post-rock-leaning “What’s Keeping You Here.” Esssentia closes with the emotional “One Last Shot,” which the band dedicated to their late bassist Jeremy Fernand, who passed away under mysterious circumstances last November; his body was found on the tracks after a suspected train accident. Says Tauro, “Craig wrote the lyrics, but when we lost Jeremy, the song took on a new meaning. Jeremy wrote the music for it.”
The EP still features some of Fernand’s original bass parts here and there; as a tribute to their departed friend, the band decided against re-tracking them with their new bassist. Making this record was anything but easy, says Tauro, and everybody is just thrilled that they’ve finally managed to release it. He says, “Looking back to the months and months of work and discussions and arguments ”“ it made everything worth it.”
Listen to ”˜Esssentia’ below:
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