Motherjane’s Addiciton
With a new vocalist and guitarist, Kochi-based prog rock band Motherjane are out with their first release of the year
Motherjane – Clyde Rozario, Vivek Thomas, Nithin Vijayanath and John Thomas (from left). Photo: Papaya Media
After four dormant years of contemplation and lineup changes, Motherjane, is out with a brand new single. Titled “Clay Play,” the track propels a smooth transition by fading out their signature darker overtones and Carnatic flamboyance and marks a more contemporary, modern progressive rock sound, with just a hint of their older sonic identity. The band’s drummer, John Thomas says, “It was a conscious decision to do away with the dark image, both lyrically and musically. It started affecting our lives and we knew this kind of music wasn’t required.”
Following its January 10th release, the video for “Clay Play” directed and captured by Abhilash Kumar and Ajay Menon of Papaya Media, has clocked over 10, 000 hits on YouTube, garnering mostly positive comments. The video oscillates between the band exorcising their militant progressions inside a warehouse, while the protagonist’s corporate rat race culminating in a catharsis of sorts runs through a parallel footage.
While some fans cling onto the nostalgia of guitarist Baiju Dharmajan’s Carnatic music influenced guitar work, supported by the familiar vocals of Suraj Mani, the band admits to being bored with their old sound. Following the departure of Dharmarajan in 2010 and Mani in 2011, the band worked with guitarist, Santhosh Chandran until 2013. The current lineup, which includes Vivek Thomas, handling lyrical duties and vocals, and guitarist Nithin Vijayanath, has been together since 2014. Both Vivek and Vijayanath have delivered brilliantly on “Clay Play,” which revolves around the theme of having an uncomplicated approach to life. “I said I’ll be myself when singing the new track, with small elements from the past, but an overall new sound,” says Vivek.
The mutation of Thomas’s signature drum grooves to the resounding bass played by Clyde Rozario, stemmed out of years of trading licks, nonchalantly bringing a whole new vigor to the band’s sound.
An added clincher is the involvement of folk rock band Avial’s guitarist Rex Vijayan, stepping in with his production and sound design skills. “Rex has been more than a producer for this song. His qualities and intuitions played a big role behind our new sound,” says Thomas.
Watch “Clay Play” here
