Pune funk rock band Urban Sprawl Primps to Release New Track “Rain”

Urban Sprawl Primps
Photo : Shraddha Borawake

If you’re a musician who wants to form a band, a gig would be a good place to begin your hunt for band members. Funk rock band Urban Sprawl Primps (USP) met each other in Pune during a performance for Sofar [Songs From A Room] Sounds, a gig series based on a format that was first launched in the UK in 2009. Among the audience at this acoustic set was vocalist Arika Silaichia, who was nominated in the Best Female Vocalist category at the 9th Jack Daniel’s Annual Rock Awards this year for USP’s track “Winter.” In a spontaneous move, she joined bassist Ayushman Datta Gupta and guitarist/vocalist Vishal Gore during their session. Says Gore, “Silaichia started rapping to some of the grooves we were playing. We thought what she was doing was interesting so we asked her to jam with us the week after. We started writing a lot of original material and that’s when USP started heading in a specific direction.”

The group released their three-track debut EP Boots & Cats in September last year. Says Gupta, “What you see is what you get. We try to keep that as a consistent philosophy. If we can’t play it live, then we don’t include it in the recording.” Infusing their brand of funk rock with elements of reggae, grunge and even Afro Cuban jazz, the band’s sound has evolved over the last year as USP morphed from an acoustic trio to a full band that includes drummer Abhishek Debsikdar and pianist Behrooz Mihankhah from Mumbai funk band Run Pussy Run. Says Gore, “We play our songs the way that we’ve written them, but we go back and rework them if necessary. As far as gigs are concerned, we always make sure that our gigs just turn into one big endless party.” Adds Gupta, “Any band’s dynamic varies depending on how many instruments are involved. Now that Abhishek and Behrooz are a part of the band, each person’s vibe has now become more refined”

Urban Sprawl Primps are already working on their next, as yet untitled release, which is due in January next year. The first single of the new nine-track album, “Rain,” which will be released in September, will feature the group’s first attempt at a cappella. Says Gore, “It is written for a character who has lost the sense of smell, something he misses more than all the material things in the world.” The band’s debut album will also feature songs such as “Pretty Little Bird,” “Not Like That,” “Ride” and “Songlee Connections.”

 

Listen to “Winter”