New Music: Dance-Pop from Alobo Naga, Madcap Metal from Amogh Symphony, Gaya’s Hopeful Hindi Song and More

“TGIF” by Alobo Naga and The Band

Although there have been plenty of singles from Nagaland artist Alobo Naga, “TGIF” marks his first in several years with the band project. With a few contributions from outgoing guitarist Lima Mongro, there’s a dance-pop sheen to the track, which has relatable lyrics from the bandleader about living for the moment. In the music video directed by Vito Sumi, the song gets an escapist fantasy of a person (portrayed by Uto Chishi) who’s stuck in the rut of daily bustling.

Automorphed EP by Amogh Symphony

After years of crafting intricate, layered concept albums to go with avant-garde metal, Amogh Symphony’s founder and multi-instrumentalist Vishal J. Singh goes straight for the jugular with the project’s new EP Automorphed. Save for the momentum-building, ominous title track and intro, Automorphed is an all-out prog metal delight, from the menacing glow of “Ares” (featuring sax and horns from Daisuke Ekiguchi) to the chaos of “Atrytone.” There are riffs meeting synth work on “Descendant” and tech-death incisiveness on “Vacuous Truth” that might remind fans of 2010’s The Quantum Hack Code. All in a day’s work for Singh, most likely.

“Bhare Bhare Se Naina” by Gaya

Admittedly coming out of a tough year, singer-songwriter Gaya resumes her journey that started with the release of her 2022 song “Qisse.” Her first song of the year “Bhare Bhare Se Naina” is co-produced by Reiner Erlings, adding a touch of whimsy and nostalgia in its minimalist sound that puts the focus on Gaya’s sublime vocals. A worthy successor to the spirited “Qisse,” “Bhare Bhare Se Naina” comes with a music video of the artist in settings that draw parallels across decades in terms of solitude and happiness.

“Chai Song” by Michael Dias

On the second single from his upcoming album, singer-songwriter Michael Dias plays to his strengths as an openhearted storyteller. Within the straightforward lyrics of “Chai Song” – which follows “Time Machine” – Dias sings and strums his guitar about bonding over a cup of tea. He proclaims emphatically, “Love is for fools” as he addresses a potential partner. The video, directed and shot by Gaurav Gokhale, portrays Dias setting out to make himself a cup of tea.

“Graceful Degradation” by Papiere

A duo from North East India, Papiere released their debut song “Graceful Degradation” in March this year. It flew under a few radars but deserves all the attention for creating a soundscape that lives up to its title. A largely instrumental track that undoubtedly draws from post-rock music, there are a few spoken word portions that build up to starry guitar work and a loud, powerful crescendo.

“Sailo” by Guns from Countryside

Sikkim stoner rock band Guns from Countryside’s new single “Sailo” prefaces their upcoming debut, multilingual album Cahoot with the Devil (out June 23rd). If it’s anything to go by, there’s a sludgy and primal sound being brewed by the trio, who came together in 2016. With Anomaly Sound Design in Sukna (near Siliguri) helming recording, mixing and mastering, the music video for “Sailo” was made by vocalist-guitarist Sandeep Yogi, with a wholly disorienting style of storytelling.

“Sometimes” by Chris Powell and Luke Kenny

Rock artist Chris Powell calls on rocker/actor Luke Kenny to lead his latest single “Sometimes.” While the lyrical inspiration for the love song has been Powell’s wife, the song is fully meant for fans of classic rock. Kenny’s vocals echo styles popularized by the likes of Pink Floyd, with the guitar layers and drums building up in total balladeer fashion, complete with screaming leads and more.

“Dooriyan” by Viniick

Mumbai-based pop artist Viniick keeps things bright and breathy even when he’s singing about the challenges of a long distance relationship on his latest single “Dooriyan.” Co-composed and co-written by Harjaspreet Singh, the two-and-a-half-minute song takes on a modern electronic-pop tune that wastes little time in getting to the hook, with a music video – directed by Siddharth Ahuja – that depicts the tumult between partners, portrayed by Viniick and Disha Saikia.

“Celestial Dreams/Tari Maari Kahani” by Sam x Ankit

Singer-composers Ankit Sahu and Sam Chandel great a dreamy Gujarati pop song called “Celestial Dreams/Tari Maari Kahani,” with a production assist from Anique. Part of their upcoming six-track EP Ghosts, the lo-fi inspired song comes with a monochrome music video showing a lovelorn protagonist exploring the city by himself, in a reminiscent mood.