New Music: Bengaluru Electronic, Ambient-Jazz, Prog-Fusion and More

“No Plastic Swear Now” by Devan Ekambaram and Leila Kaiyr

A veteran voice with over 500 songs to his name, Chennai-based singer Devan Ekambaram rose to fame in the early 2000s and he’s still making sure his voice shines bright for the right causes. Collaborating with Belgian artist Leila Kaiyr, their a cappella song “No Plastic Swear Now” is a slick, solemn and straightforward offering that sets the tone for a message about eco conservation and sustainability.

“State O’ Mind” by Clifr ft Lojal

Bengaluru-based producer Chlipher Chris aka Clifr makes a resoundingly fun new song called “State O’ Mind” with vocalist, producer and multi-instrumentalist Lojal, which takes a shapeshifting deep dive into ever-changing psychological states and moods. While Lojal offers up quick paced wisdom, Clifr’s production leans into the pass of funk, jazz and electronic music, mirroring influences such as Jacob Collier, Tennyson and more.

“Europa Swim” by The Bodhisattwa Trio

Following the release of The Grey Album in early 2019, Kolkata experimental jazz act Bodhisattwa Trio’s eponymous guitarist Bodhisattwa Ghosh, keyboardist Shonai and drummer Premjit Dutta are seemingly gazing into galaxies on their lightheaded new song “Europa Swim.” Supplied with a mind-expanding music video that matches the ambient layers, the trio worked on this track as well as their upcoming fourth album remotely due to the coronavirus pandemic. One of their most atmospheric songs yet, “Europa Swim” runs into dexterous jazz territory soon enough.

“Clementine” by The Detour

Hyderabad prog-fusion outfit The Detour was formed in 2016 by guitarist-vocalist Niteesh Kondiparthi and is completed by drummer-synth player Navneeth Krishnan and bassist Rohit Eragula. Showing off influences of the likes of prog bands Opeth and The Contortionist as well as metallers Tesseract, “Clementine” brings together galloping drum work, morphing rhythmic action and Kondiparthi’s calm vocals to juxtapose things. The debut single is part of an upcoming and as-yet-untitled EP.

“Destiny” by Brethren of Songs and Stories

On their second single, vocalist Diyatom Deb and bassist-composer Barun Sinha (from blues rock band SkyEyes) reach into an even more stripped-down, but soul-bearing sound for their project Brethren of Songs and Stories. Although their debut track “Surrounding Static” was much more expansive and played with psychedelic rock, “Destiny” is much more concise at about two minutes and essentially musing about journeying over a guitar and vocal combo.

“Tere Intezaar” by Fiddlecraft ft Vishrut Jawalkar

Rock band Fiddlecraft’s Gaurav Kadu teams up with fellow singer-songwriter Vishrut Jawalkar for an emphatic new track called “Tere Intezaar,” whose music video features interpretive dance by artist Henna Raisinghani. Sonically, Fiddlecraft and Jawalkar bring in a steady acoustic guitar melody married with a gentle piano layer that serves as a pillowing base for powerful, quivering vocals about love amidst “hopeless and endless waiting.” The song builds into a buzzing guitar lead that aptly elevates it into soaring rock territory.

“Bhasad” by Shreyas

New Delhi-based teen rapper Shreyas gets on a loop by ace producer Stunnah Beatz on his latest mellow, auto-tune heavy trap song “Bhasad,” featuring fellow 17-year-old rapper Ritij Tiwari aka Ritizz. Recording and releasing music since 2019, Shreyas has so far put out songs like “Subah,” “Ikka,” “Restart” and “Late” and taps into teenage ennui but infuses it with cheeky references to gully rap, his hometown’s hip-hop space and more.