New Music: Multilingual Pop, Electronic Hip-Hop, Prog and More

“Better Place” by The Lost Circus

Kochi experimental rock band The Lost Circus tap into dreamy soundscapes on their new song “Better Place,” which is part of their upcoming debut album. While the quintet released their first single “Fly” earlier this year, work is ongoing to craft a genre-fluid record comprising eight tracks. “Better Place,” in the meantime, offers up echoing guitars and vocals for a tranquil listen.

“Mi Amor” by Amrapali Shindhe

Everything is slow and impassioned on singer-songwriter Amrapali Shindhe’s latest single “Mi Amor,” but the lyric video for the longing love song indicates how seamlessly she can switch up languages. With a hook that employs Spanish but also Hindi lyrics, Shindhe sings in English through the easygoing verses, featuring neo-soul production from Bengaluru based Doc.Awes.

“Pillowfights” by Kaafir

Bhubaneswar-bred alternative artist Kaafir follows up his 2020 debut record Crosswords with a understated yet memorable new song called “Pillowfights.” Reconciling ideas of love and being addicted to it, the artist roams amidst wilderness and arrives at a waterfall in the music video directed by Anjan and Abhay Patnaik. The EDM structure gives way to more wistful, almost gothic vocal melodies in the song that’s co-produced by Kaafir’s go-to collaborator, drummer Anupam Panda from prog band Coma Rossi.

“My Time” by EQ, MC Bijju, Smokey the Ghost

Pressing pause on his studies at Berklee College of Music in Boston, hip-hop artist EQ aka Marlon D’Souza called on ace rappers MC Bijju and Smokey the Ghost for a solid new song called “My Time.” Although EQ handles the verse and pumps in dancefloor-friendly production to the track, it’s with Smokey the Ghost’s distinct delivery and Bijju’s strong Kannada wordplay that “My Time” becomes a listen-worthy track.

“Vacation” by Krish Dior

Boston-born, New Delhi-based hip-hop artist Krish Pratap aka Krish Dior has been raking up millions of streams with an international audience so far. The 18-year-old now has a party-friendly song out called “Vacation.” Channeling everything current in the American hip-hop space, Krish sings breezily over a blend of electronic, trap and pop.

“Aa Bhi Jao” by Kabeer Ali

New Delhi singer-songwriter Kabeer Ali’s debut single “Aa Bhi Jao” starts out fairly predictably as you come to expect from Hindi indie artists churning out love songs at the moment. After a minute of his R&B-esque croons, however, the track kicks into gear with prog riffing and a seemingly chaotic guitar solo. Bringing together surging drum fills and squeaky clean production, “Aa Bhi Jao” makes Kabeer Ali one to watch for his intriguing blend.

“Gujarati Nasha” by RaOol ft Neeti Mohan, Jaz Dhami

Moving into the sphere of Gujarati hip-hop, Australia-bred, London-based artist RaOol brings in acclaimed voices such as Neeti Mohan and Jaz Dhami to sing in Gujarati for his new EP Gujarat Stand Up. Playing up ideas of identity and pride, Mohan and Dhami join in on “Gujarati Nasha,” a particularly boisterous track.