Indie Musicians Arun Singhal, Bedanta Sarma, Yousuf Tareen, Nilesh Srivastava and Sarthak Dutta Join Forces on New Album ‘A Chunk of Rock’

Although Jaipur-bred producer/composer and guitarist Arun Singhal, Mumbai singer-songwriter Yousuf Tareen, Guwahati guitarist/composer Bedanta Sarma, Lucknow drummer Nilesh Srivastava and New Delhi bassist Sarthak Dutta hail from different parts of India, the musicians still managed to find a way to release their new eight-track album A Chunk of Rock.

In this interview with Rolling Stone India, Sarma talks us through how they put the record together, what the songs mean and more. Read below.

How did the album come together?

We’re a group of musicians from diverse backgrounds and musical traditions and have come together to create a unique album A Chunk Of Rock. Hailing from different states across India, with different cultures and influences, each member brings their distinct flavor to the mix. All the artists have contributed their distinct taste in music to this album. Around 2018 we started writing the melody of the songs, but we faced a lot of challenges and with the challenges it was getting difficult to go ahead and record the songs as we were not convinced with the tracks lyrically. But in 2019 we met our talented singer-songwriter Yousuf Tareen and with the help of his writing skills, we started moving ahead with the project. When we initially started recording this album in 2020, we worked with many music producers but the process of recording and getting it right got so intense that it resulted in abandoning the album midway process. Then after six to eight months, Arun decided to take it upon himself and take up the role of producing the album himself. Since we were living in five different cities in India, we used to record our parts and send them to Arun to put it together and produce the album in Mumbai. Now we have finally released our album as we wanted in its full glory.

What can you tell me about the songs on this album and what they mean?

The songs on this album were composed mostly by Yousuf Tareen, with the exception of ‘Goodbye,’ which was written by me [Sarma] and Arun Singhal. The lyrics for the songs were written over a period of almost two years, during which time many lyrics were tried until finally, Yousuf wrote the lyrics to the songs after his induction in the band. The album largely speaks to the spiritual journey of an individual, with songs like ‘Voices,’ ‘The Shades of Grey,’ ‘From the Abyss,’ and ‘Samsara’ that are deeply rooted in the thinker’s personality. These songs depict a person realizing the true nature of life as a reaction to both inward and outward circumstances. ‘Calm Before the Storm’ is a song that is dedicated to rock idols that were and are true inspirations to the band. The song ‘Moon and the Sun’ is about the beauty of love, from the initial feeling of love when a relationship starts to grow old together. On the other hand, ‘Goodbye’ is a story of heartbreak and separation, pushing an individual to the edge of the cliff without any regret. The lyrics of the songs speak about specific topics in a generic way so that the band’s listeners can relate them to their own experiences.

Sonically the album is steeped in rock, what was the direction you guys went with when you set out to record?

It is quite amusing that the composition and production of our songs took longer than anticipated, due to our hectic schedules and being spread out all across the country. During this process, we experimented with various genres, including pop-rock, pop, and acoustic. However, we eventually realized that our songs required an added oomph that distortion guitars, rock drums, and bass could provide. We tested different grooves until we found the perfect fit. Arun played a significant role in the evolution of our sound. We changed the arrangements and sounds on most of the songs, and some songs didn’t make it to the album. Nonetheless, we are pleased with the final product.

What’s next?

We are planning for gigs this year-end or next year. And we are also in the process with our music videos for this album. As we are all individual artists we have our different plans in life but on the other hand we always come up with brilliant ideas to work with and make fine music for all. Life is too short to know what will be the next thing for us but we only tend to make music and do what we love to do and live the best way we can.

Stream ‘A Chunk of Rock’ on Spotify below: