Hear Mumbai Multi-Instrumentalist Meadows & Rust’s Delicate New Single ‘Leave Them Behind’

By his own admission, Aditya Narayan is a “whimsical guy.” The multi-instrumentalist producer and vocalist learned to play about six instruments on his own over the years, his most recent being the violin. “I don’t know any other way,” he says.

Part of the performing arts platform Artistes Unlimited in New Delhi from as early as 2007 when he was 15, Narayan was also singing in a band called Cobbled Street (alongside singer-songwriter Dhruv Visvanath, drummer Suyash Gabriel and more) and then founded the Aditya Narayan Collective. Although he moved to Mumbai in 2013, he counts fusion band Advaita as a big influence, specifically producer Anindo Bose. Narayan says, “I started producing because of him.”

Also a singer who lent his voice to ad jingles, Narayan realized he would get into producing and sound engineer gigs to earn a living. “I had to make it my job since I didn’t have many opportunities, considering the speech impediment I have,” he says. Film music production work kicked off in 2016, following a stint on English singing competition The Stage, where he caught the attention of composer-singer Vishal Dadlani. Narayan adds, “I joined [composer] Abhijit Vaghani’s team and he taught me music production for films. I’m incredibly grateful for it and absolutely enjoy that.”

Listen to “Lost” below.

Understandably, in the midst of working to commercial music project briefs, Narayan felt that the indie musician in him was “unfulfilled.” Although he always had several songs written and subsequently junked, feedback from friends like Visvanath and singer-producer Nayantara Bhatkal (also Narayan’s partner) kept him motivated. Early last year, following the lockdown, Narayan created Meadows & Rust. With the two singles “Lost” and “Leave Them Behind” – released in April – the artist showcases ambient, cinematic and electronic hues, drawing inspiration from the likes of Icelandic artist Olafur Arnalds.

The two songs showcase songwriting and production elements which move between subtle and sweeping, retaining calmness throughout with minimal lyrics. “I liked to keep my production as clean as possible,” he says. Compared to his feelings attached to film music projects which have big budgets and even bigger listenership, Narayan says every view and stream on Meadows & Rust’s music “feels much more important” and counts towards his personal growth.

With two more songs in place – “Stars” featuring violinist-producer Ajay Jayanthi and the forthcoming “Invincible” due in June – Narayan has arrived at a new creative benchmark with Meadows & Rust. “I’ve found a certain confidence after six to seven years,” he says.

Watch the video for “Leave Them Behind” below. Stream on more platforms here.