New Music: Electronica-Fusion, Tamil Rock, Prog, Bengali Pop and More

“Bad Trip” by Nikitaa

Los Angeles/Mumbai pop artist Nikitaa digs deeper into her own thematic universe of divinity, spirituality and femininity with her latest single “Bad Trip.” While the singer and producer – joined by her go-to co-producer Mukund Komanduri – puts forward a pained and heartbroken persona, the song takes an intense turn with a Hindi section, in which Nikitaa rues the injustice meted out to her in a relationship. The music video, directed by Alexandre Bar aka Trophy Boy, sees the artist in the throes of moving through a rough patch but emerging empowered from it all.

“Maya” by Alboe

Released in March, producer, singer-songwriter and DJ Alboe aka Vendant Chandra unveils his foray into “Indian electronica” with the Indian classical-infused single “Maya.” Adding vocals as well as vibrant sitar-like melodies, there’s a meditativeness present, even as some of the percussive clap-like patterns might sound like it’s informed by Bonobo. The song follows Alboe’s 2021 album The Painter, which drew from deep house, ambient and more.

“Paathai” by Mr. Kev ft Vaisakh Somanath, Anand Kashinath, Baidurjya Banerjee, Vinay Ramakrishnan

Chennai pop-rock artist Mr. Kev is often at the forefront of all kinds of sonic (and social media) experiments and his new collaborative single “Paathai” is no different. The Tamil song brings in singer-songwriters such as Anand Kashinath and Vaisakh Somanath, plus drummer Vinay Ramakrishnan and guitarist Baidurjya Banerjee for a wavy, fusion-rock song that also skirts on electronic beats and a trio of soaring vocals.

“Wo Bhi Kya Din They” by Kumauni 17 x Devil J

Rudrapur-based artist Kumauni 17 aka Bhupesh Bisht and rapper Devil J aka Bhartiya Gaurav reminisce about school days, after growing up but not necessarily growing old, on their Hindi track “Wo Bhi Kya Din They.” The four-minute track – produced by Eskot and Sedivi – puts Uttarakhand on the map for envelope-pushing hip-hop from the region, partly for its nostalgic and reminiscent mood but also for flipping the beat and fusing an R&B vibe in slick fashion.

“Lunar Month” by The Bodhisattwa Trio

Kolkata instrumental act The Bodhisattwa Trio’s upcoming fourth album Frontier is previewed with a spacey new song “Lunar Month,” which released in April. While the album is slated to be recorded in collaboration with Croatian jazz ensemble Mimika Orchestra later this year, “Lunar Month” centers in on the trio of pianist Shonai, guitarist Bodhisattwa Ghosh and drummer Premjit Dutta to reflect the heaviness of loss, the atmospheric guitars, drums and airy piano parts tying into the narrative of a trio who are stuck orbiting the moon, following their escape from Earth, which has been voided by nuclear war.

“27 Club” by Pablo

Kolkata hip-hop artist Pablo looks back at heartbreak and the journeys he’s been on his breezy yet bittersweet new song “27 Club.” Referencing quotes by Kurt Cobain in the AutoTune-laced hook, Pablo contrasts the thoughts of his troubled mind with cheery, groovy production. The song – released via the artist’s label Khaos Kartel – follows singles like “I Don’t Give a Beep” and the 2021 full-length album Pablo’s Gonna Pull Up On You.

“Ascend” by Evenodd

Prog band Evenodd forged a formidable debut with their 2018 album Sapiens, but there hasn’t been much from them since then. As it turns out, founders Debojit Kaushik and Karan Chowdhary had moved locations, both ending up in the U.S.’ while keeping Evenodd alive. They burst forward with a power-packed new song “Ascend,” which dials up everything anyone loves about prog – from the heavy-footed, stomping rhythms to painstakingly crafted buildups. With Kaushik in Chicago and Chowdhary in New York, Evenodd are honing in on a heavier yet finessed sound.

“Sheep” by Sanjeev T, Keralanka

The sixth single from guitarist-composer Sanjeev Thomas’ album Future is a fiery yet funky hip-hop song “Sheep,” featuring Canadian duo Keralanka. Rapper Roheezy brings lethal wordplay as he tears apart double standards and superficiality in the world around us. Certainly a move away from the lo-fi, chill and emotional hip-hop that Thomas has put out before on Future, “Sheep” is a clutter-breaking track carried by Keralanka and the booming production.

“Aachi Aami” by Debanjan Biswas

Mumbai singer-songwriter and composer Debanjan Biswas gathers an enviable list of collaborators for his first Bengali song “Aachi Aami.” The gentle fusion song bears the signature of Biswas’ cinematic songwriting and he’s aided by composer Advait Sawant, vocalist Surangana Bandyopadhyay, veteran flautist Rakesh Chaurasia sarod artist Abhishek Borkar, tabla artist Rupak Dhamankar and bass by Anand Masrani. Part of his upcoming album Abhisharan, “Aachi Aami” tugs evocatively at the heartstrings of anyone who has experienced a situation where they’ve been separated from their near and dear.

“Maqsad” by Rosha, Jakhar

New Delhi producer Rosha aka Rohan Sharma and rapper Tanishq Jakhar (who goes by his last name as an artist) have been chipping away at releasing their debut collaborative Dukh/ Sukh, starting with singles like “Scene Flip” and “Aao Na Baitho.” Measured in their songwriting as well as beat production, there’s a mix of club banger and chill-hop energy exuded so far and the latter is carried forward on their third song “Maqsad.” With an in-the-room kind of approach to rapping, Jakhar complements Rosha’s easygoing beats.