New Releases: From Delhi Psych Rock to Kolkata Electronica

“O Beti” by Mindflew

The third single by the Delhi psych rock band is a fairly funny slow-motion-heavy video featuring the likes of the Tetseo Sisters, Subhadra Kamath from electronica act Tankbund/Yellow Bucket and members from psychedelic rock band The Urban EarlyMen. In their fourth single off the upcoming album, frontman Ritwik De is kidnapped and caught between what looks like a mob war. The video, shot by filmmaker Tushar Prakash, also includes visual references to the band’s product-themed songs such as “Sapne ”“ the Dream” and “Philaawar Fantasy 500”.

Deep Beyond Belief by Hybrid Protokol

Kolkata-based producers Soumajit Ghosh and Aneesh Basu came together last year to create Hybrid Protokol, adding their style of vigorous, bounce-off-the-club-walls electronica to the already expansive terrain of music in the genre. Their debut six-track release, called Deep Beyond Belief, even includes collaborations from fellow Kolkata indietronica artist Aniket Dutta aka Oh, Rocket [on the title track and the hypnotic breakbeat “Waterline”] and singer-songwriter Rahul Guha Roy [on The Prodigy-esque “Kundalini”].

“Holi Hai” by Motorcycle Shayaries

Mumbai rap rock duo comprising Ritansh Azad and producer Siddharth Rathore have released a colorful yet hard-hitting new song called “Holi Hai”. The track takes on many social issues like banning sex education, selective media coverage, and even pokes fun at how business graduates would rather join godmen.

“Smog” by Cat Kamikazee

Pune’s quickly becoming the new source of experimental, instrumental-led music. Following recent releases by the likes of alt metal band Lotus and instrumental rock band Celestial Teapot, now comes the turn of Cat Kamikazee. The Pune post-rock/prog rock band, who came together late last year, have released their first single “Smog,” which features a patient, steady build-up to a classic post-rock crescendo to close their 4:40 minute song.

“Peppermint Sunset” by Hitherto

“Peppermint Sunset” is a post-rock fan’s instant fix; what with all the reverberating guitar play and neat drumming, both of which take a sharp turn around a third into the song towards a more visceral direction. Going by this debut single, the New Delhi-based band are a welcome addition to the growing post-rock scene.

“Tonight” by Simpler’s Project

After a seven-track collection of songs Pebbles In A Pot and the four-track Waves [both released in 2015] and a handful of stray releases, the latest from Mumbai-based electronica duo Simpler’s Project is an smooth-vocal-led meditation on a departed lover [“Where would you go tonight / If I could be with you this time”]. The four-minute long track, full of bright tinkering melodies and an ambient soundscape, is the second single from their upcoming album In To The Woods.

“Silver Lining Sky” by Moyuchen Yanthan

Don’t be fooled by the opening dancehall melodies on “Silver Lining Sky”, Nagaland-based producer-guitarist Moyuchen Yanthan takes alt rock singer Virie Kts’s debut single and packs in chunky djent. This instrumental rendition challenges the metal elitists by pitting ambient electronica melodies against riffs reminiscent of Brit prog metallers Tesseract, all while bringing a solid groove.