Premiere: Swati Bhatt Gazes Into a ‘Reverie’ on Latest Release

Currently at home with family in her native Raipur, New Delhi-based singer-songwriter Swati Bhatt recorded her latest song “Reverie” and then arranged it, which is not usually the way those steps progress.

The suitably ethereal new song features bass by Suyash Agrawal, guitar work from Divij Kapoor and pianist Abhin Iype, who all recorded before the coronavirus-related lockdown, but then Bhatt says she only had a “basic arrangement in mind.” She adds, “I knew that for this one I would need to sit with the post production a lot and just create the whole sound soundscape.” The track, featuring additional production from Erwick Flynn D’Souza, was recorded and mixed by Anindo Bose (from fusion groups Advaita and Shadow & Light) at Plug N Play Studios.

The third song off her EP – following “Veiled” and “Dare” – Bhatt sings wistfully (with a hint of Indian classical intonations) on “Reverie” about a sort of solitude. She explains in a note, “At times being in a relationship does not deter the possibility of being lonely, for at times this is when you are the most alone. In order to find solace, you create a happy place in your mind, a place where you feel completely at ease, yet it’s only a reverie. This song is about trying to break the loneliness you feel, even when you’re with someone and even when you escape to your happy place.”

Like her previous singles, Bhatt wanted to give “Reverie” a music video release, but felt it wasn’t possible to execute given the restrictions. “I see people going through a really creative way of shooting house videos and those are great but I think with this song, I had another thought in mind, since this is one of those songs you can listen to with your eyes closed,” she says.

Bhatt is currently spending her time conducting two kinds of workshops – a “miniseries” on releasing music and navigating the space and another on music appreciation. “I just think when someone talks to you about it and tells you how it goes, it makes so much so many things clear,” she says.

Stream “Reverie” on Spotify below.