New Music: From Chennai Alt Rock to Belgaum Acoustic Pop

+&- by Junkyard Groove

Looks like Chennai rocker Ameeth Thomas has decided to keep it short and sweet on his band’s latest release. The three-track EP for Junkyard Groove is called +&-, possibly taken from the fact that these songs are about positives and negatives. From the jam-friendly bluesy “Mother” and the soft acoustic ode to a departed friend “Losing Her” to their classic alt rock-led “Shooting Star,” the follow-up to 2013’s Accidental Hero is just a sonic glimpse into Thomas’s strong, varied roots. He’s joined by long-time members from their live acts including drummer Shashank Vijay, bassist Jitesh Dharmaraj (from Chennai rock act Tails on Fire) and guitarists Joshua Mark Raj and Vikram Vivekanand (from rock & roll band Grey Shack).

Levity EP by Hitherto

When it comes to creating cinematic, crescendo-heavy music, New Delhi post-rock band Hitherto check all the boxes. Their first EP, Levity, kicks off “Goodbye Goodnight,” which builds on echoing guitars, followed by their early riff-laden single “Peppermint Sunset.” The EP rounds off with “Families,” with twinkly guitars, roomy drums leading into generous use of reverb, delay and of course, fuzz.

“I Love You Baby, I Love You Doll” by Parekh & Singh

We know you’ve heard it before, but have you watched “I Love You Baby, I Love You Doll,” though? Originally released in 2013 with their debut album Ocean ”“ under just Kolkata dream pop artist Nischay Parekh’s name ”“ the sweet tune gets a music video courtesy of Mumbai-based filmmaker Misha Ghose. It’s even got props from American director Wes Anderson, whose visual signature the video draws from. With Ocean set to re-release internationally under UK’s Peacefrog Records this month, there’s more to look forward to from Parekh & Singh.

 “Roaches” by MALFNKTION

It might have been a year since Adi Alamuru dropped his remarkable debut Hindustani Rascal but it seems like his electronic/hip-hop project MALFNKTION is levelling up with “Roaches,” his latest wobbly, (superbly) sample-heavy tune from an upcoming album called Vote for Worms. Stay tuned for the complete eight-track album by the end of October.

Ode to the Mountains by Siddharth Chopra

There’s clearly two sides to Mumbai-based guitarist-producer Siddharth Chopra ”“ and that’s evident from how he’s divided his sets on SoundCloud as “progressive/experimental” and “easy listening/acoustic”. The guitarist of Mumbai post-rock act A Mutual Question, Chopra camped in and around Himachal Pradesh in August with a portable recording setup to create Ode to the Mountains, which swerves world music to ambient patterns led by his meditative guitar work.

“Done and Dusted” by Shubhangi Joshi Collective

Mumbai singer-songwriter Shubhangi Joshi, who previously charmed with the slow serenade “Talking Away the Night” in 2014, takes to funk, soul and pop with a solid rhythm section courtesy of bassist Titus Pinto and drummer Aamir Ismail on her new material. “Done and Dusted” brings out a much more buoyant sound set to an encouraging word from Joshi to “let it be.”

“Dua” by Asmyth

What starts out as a peaceful acoustic track led by Belgaum-based singer Asmyth Prabhudesai’s sublime vocals soars into an exuberant zone that’s loud enough to fill an arena. His debut single “Dua” was recorded at Dharwad studio The Saccharide, who also produced a video with the studio take of Asymth tracking the song.