Recycle Returns After A Break

ReCycle

It didn’t take long for Imphal’s ReCycle to make a breakthrough in the Northeast. Formed in 2006, the band’s lead singer Biswajit Tongbram snagged Best Vocalist Award at the Hornbill Rock Contest in 2007. “We formed the band in November 2006 and our first gig was in April next year with Aizawl’s Boomarang ”” they sort of launched us. The idea was to form a band that will stand out and winning at Hornbill gave us some recognition,” says Bode Paonam, founding member and guitarist of the alternative rock band. 

In 2009, ReCycle contributed a track “Walk On” for Rock4Life, a compilation album featuring eight bands from the North East including Soulmate (Shillong) and Digital Suicide (Guwahati). But the good times were cut short soon. When their guitarist called it quits, and the bassist followed suit, there were rough times ahead for the band. Paonam turned to his event management firm, Chumthang Events, organizing music festivals and occasionally handling new bands, something he continues to do today. In 2010, vocalist Tongbram too parted ways and Paonam was left with the task of starting all over again. “There were some internal problems between the members and it took us two years to find a good vocalist,” he says.

This year, ReCycle is back with a fresh lineup. What’s more, their Reverbnation page may even make you believe they are back after a gig in the US, though Paonam is quick to add that it’s just an error waiting to be fixed. “Somen (Soram, drummer) and I are the only original members. We used to be a five-piece set but now it’s four with Deepak Ningthoujam on bass, and Roukung joining in on vocals,” he says.

The Imphal rockers, who confess their allegiance to bands such as RHCP, Incubus and Stone Temple Pilots among others, describe their music alternative rock with a touch of funk and insist that they are ready to get back into the game. Last month, they released a catchy new track, “Let’s Talk A While”, heavily inspired by RHCP and available for free download on Facebook. “We are currently working on a five-track EP that should be out this December,” he says. Other tracks on their EP titled, A Cycle, include “True Lies,” “White Noise,” “Echo” and “In The Floor”, which they are yet to record. “Our songs talk about human emotions, social conditions and the things we see and relate to in Imphal.” Also on cards is a tour across the country including Delhi, Bengaluru and Kolkata this November, to promote the EP.

Listen to “Let’s Talk A While” here: