Salt Rock Return with Soaring New Single ‘For You’

After releasing their boisterous single “Anarchy” in 2020, New Delhi outfit Salt Rock are now out with a brand new track in the shape of the gritty yet melodic “For You.” In this interview with Rolling Stone India, the band talks to us about the new song, their recording process, future plans and more. Read below.

What has the band been up to since you released “Anarchy”?

Aditi Sharma (Vocalist): There have been some changes from the initial lineup of the band and we have recently had Vishrut (Shankar Shukla, bassist) join in as the newest Salt Rock member. After our debut release in 2020, we received an amazing response but it was hard to navigate our way through the independent music scene especially since all of us were involved in different projects and live bands just to make ends meet. But I believe this hiatus has given us the time to refocus and work on our artist identity, building a community of rock lovers and writing and recording a lot of songs. We are all ready to make a comeback this time, you can expect nothing short of consistency, creativity and innovation this time around.

Sarthak Pradhan (Drummer): With the volume of releases coming out every day and new movements in music, we quickly understood that the only way to break through the noise will be to come up with a fresh sound and an unshakable identity. The only logical next step was to find a cause and attach ourselves to it. So here we are, after a three-year grind of troubleshooting songwriting methods, recording techniques, production ideas and finding our way through our instruments. Our aim is to reintroduce modern-age rock which resonates with sub-cultural and broader youth movements. It’s really all about creating a community now.

What can you tell us about the new song “For You”?

Mayank Lawrence (Guitarist): ‘For You’ is a special one for us. It’s different from anything we’ve done before. It almost has this inbuilt anxiety, longing and temptation built into its sound. It’s a song that’s a mix of different things you might not expect. It started as a bluesy idea, but then Aditi added a catchy melody that gave it a pop-rock feel. This song seamlessly switches between raw power and soothing melodies, striking a perfect balance of old and new, strong and soft, and it has both nice tunes and a bit of edge. The words and the melody fit perfectly with the music, and we made sure not to change it too much so it still feels real. It’s like rock music, but with a new and exciting touch.

Sharma: Writing the song was really an emotional experience for me. The song revolves around unrequited love and attention — something all of us have been through but are almost embarrassed to address. I wanted to write a song that describes the initial rush of having a crush, the constant hope that those feelings are reciprocated. ‘For You’ is a playful, flirty and hopeful declaration of love. It expresses the desire to have the person want you as much as you want them.

What was the recording and production process like for the song?

Vishrut Shankar Shukla (Bassist): Being in the studio is where the band truly comes alive. It’s where we are most focused, most creative and truly creating — it’s almost like meditation but much more chaotic. There’s so much creative input happening every second. The studio is where all of these ideas that we’ve spent months fleshing out are put to print in a way. Because these songs are ingrained in us now, we went in really focused, with a clear idea of how the song is supposed to sound. That said, once you’re in the room and the project is in front of you and there are all of these ideas in your head, like a, ‘Hey, that sounds nice, we can add that’ or a ‘Maybe try and play that bit somewhere else,’ some of them end up making it on the songs. So it’s this extremely creative space and the experience is spearheaded by the fact that we’re clear about what we want, and yet there’s space to improvise, which honestly makes for a really fun time.

Pradhan: We’ve all known each other for a long time so it’s always a blast recording together. It’s something we look forward to every time. For this song in particular, it was a really special experience for us getting back in the studio after years. The song is very different from what we usually create. I think all of us used our past heartache and experiences to really bring this song to life. We have some really interesting behind-the-scenes content in store for our audience, you get to see our goofy side.

What’s next?

It’s the new era of Salt Rock. We are edgier, more enthusiastic and all about our fans. We really want to shift our focus to storytelling and building a narrative around our music releases. You can expect more singles, tours, exciting content and an album drop from us very soon.

Stream “For You” on Spotify below: