Exclusive Premiere: Kraken’s Rainbow-Smudged New Single ‘Yooo! It’s A Letter From My Koi Fish’

New Delhi rock band Kraken.

Kraken guitarist Moses Koul is not going to drop a single artist name as a reference when asked about what influenced his band’s long-awaited debut album LUSH. He says, “Most of our music is inspired by awesome human beings, happy faces, good food and happy places.”

Going by the typography and love for all things Japanese (which shows in their artwork and album teaser video), Kraken are all about vibes, to put it simply. Koul talks about their lead single “Yooo! It’s A Letter From My Koi Fish” as a song that has “introspective, personal” lyrics, much like their album, which was produced by go-to producer Keshav Dhar and features drums recorded by Anindo Bose (from fusion group Advaita and Shadow & Light). Koul says, “The whole album is like a loner’s paradise. It’s about being comfortable with yourself.”

More than two years in the making, LUSH’s lead single sounds ”“ and looks, going by the “interactive jukebox” video they’ve got ”“ like an exuberant, heady mix of rock, indie, math and maybe just a little hardcore. Koul, however, says they don’t want to pigeonhole their music into any genres. “All of us in the band listen to such different music, so we don’t label our music.”

The band will release more tracks off LUSH through the month, with a tour in the works in a month or two. “The gigs are going to be a total party,” says Koul.

Listen to “Yooo! It’s a Letter From My Koi Fish”

 

Artwork for ‘LUSH’. Art: Moses Koul

LUSH tracklist

1. “This Story Begins at Okay Pizza”
2. “Clowns Aren’t Funny After Midnight”
3. “Bouncy Bouncy Ooh Such a Good Time”
4. “What Will Be, Will Be, Promise Me Kawaii Tea”
5. “Mango Duet Summers: The Bonus Level”
6. “Yooo! It’s a Letter From My Koi Fish”