#ReviewRundown: Dhruv Visvanath, Michael Dias, Kill The King, Nemophilis, Tarini, The Dots

Dhruv Visvanath — Dancing In The Dark EP

★★★★

If discipline is what it takes, then Dhruv Visvananth has it, as he proves on his shimmy-friendly Dancing In The Dark EP. There’s a pep in his voice, sparkling production choices and positive reinforcements for lyrics across six tracks. At the center of it all remains his percussive acoustic style, the thumping grooves evident plenty on infectious songs like “Gimme Love” and “Moondance” featuring Benny Dayal, who makes for a wonderful vocal match to Visvanath. With some of these songs emerging from his annual Song a Day challenge, it’s testament to how songwriting can be a revered practice. Visvanath plucks playfully on “Alone” and “Little Fingers” which are bolstered by his vocal harmonies and there’s a familiar, cinematic lushness on “Underworld” and roaring electric energy on “Separately Togetherness.”

Kill The King — Kill The King

★★★½

Like every good metal album, Kill the King’s self-titled debut makes its first two minutes count – like a smashing a brick on the back of the listener’s head. Vocalist Pritam Adhikary Goswami, guitarists Aditya Swaminathan and Rishikesh Dharap, drummer Rahul Singh and bassist Saurabh Lodha have crafted a lethal weapon to make their first impression the most commanding one. “Hate Advocacy” hits hard, while “Money Talks” has the serpentine riffs to back up a takedown of capitalism. Social issues are very much par for the course, as “No country for women” and “In The Name of Culture” prove. There’s a bit of indulgence that adds a different kind of depth on lengthier treats like “Regicide,” “Freedom,” “Dystopian Reign” (a melodic treat) and “Abuse,” which also proves that Kill The King is for the diehard metal fans willing to take the trip.

Michael Dias — Show Me What’s Real

★★★½

Not too long ago, Michael Dias was rocking out and baring his heart on stage with Bengaluru rock band Mad Orange Fireworks. After moving to Goa, he picked back up on songs that didn’t fit into his band and thus came about his debut solo album Show Me What’s Real. The themes of brokenhearted souls holding fort permeate the lyrics and it goes over diverse influences for Dias – from Sting (“Black Hole”) to Duran Duran (“I Will Let You Go”) to The Beatles and everything in between. The title track starts out at the top of the hill with energetic rock, then there’s the bluesy “Why Suzie Why” but he clinches it with “Time Machine,” an acoustic song that has true moments of honesty and clarity. He repeats it on “Chai Song” as well, and brings in singer-composer Shakthisree Gopalan for the starry song “The Fruit.” If sad-boy hours come around, Dias’s tunes are the soundtrack.

Tarini — From These Cracks a Flower Grew EP

★★★½

A smile is what it took to change Chennai singer-songwriter Tarini to take a chance again and there’s a lot of relatability housed within the encouraging opener “Hello :)” to her debut EP From These Cracks a Flower Grew. With American producers Lexington Bowler and Joseph Nichols on Tarini’s side, there’s a marked radio-friendly, indie-pop hue to the four-track EP. “Like I Do” brushes away worries, “Chose You For You” speaks to more delicate matters of families and unravels like a deep ballad and “Winds of Change” (not a cover of the Scorpions song) sees Tarini soar as a vocalist, making for a diverse, heartfelt debut offering from a young artist.

The Dots — Green Moss & Pitfalls EP

★★★½

There’s something unmistakably “Indian rock” about Kolkata rock band The Dots and their debut EP Green Moss & Pitfalls. By that, we mean the sound of alt rock bands like Zero, Lounge Piranha and Menwhopause that emerged 15 to 20 years ago – the ones who often weren’t afraid to sing in English but in their distinctively Indian accents and match it with acoustic rock arrangements. “Lemon Pepper” and “Tangerines” are warmly in that space, but they’re not trying to pay homage to a brief era in Indian indie music. Their songwriting and production choices are perhaps coincidental, because there’s a freshness on “Fly Away” that is propped up by fuzzy guitars and the psychedelic closer “Stray.”

Nemophilis — The Iceberg

★★★½

Pune rock trio Nemophilis have been on the touring circuit for a few years now, picking up tribute gigs as well as shows where they play their original music. It’s a different way to build an audience, but it can be argued that Nemophilis are well on their way to cracking it. Undoubtedly influenced by Linkin Park, their debut album The Iceberg doubles down on that right from the opening track “Breathe.” Early 2000s and 2010s American radio rock influences show themselves on ballads like “What I’ve Done,” but then there’s a more heavy metal/glam rock influence on “Paralyzed” and djent influences on “Stronger.” Pacey songs like “You!” and a grungy ballad like “Behind The Veil” might make one think that Nemophilis are all over the place with their influences, but that’s far from the truth – they’re a band who can channel influences across eras and styles and give one great sonic journey.