Shantanu Pandit Returns With Solo Song ‘Aliza don’t count on me’
The New Delhi producer and singer-songwriter’s new album ‘Milk Teeth’ will release on August 13th
Singer-songwriter and producer Shantanu Pandit. Photo: Karanjit Singh
As it turns out, Shantanu Pandit’s new album Milk Teeth – prefaced by the recently released lead single “Aliza don’t count on me” – has been in the works since around 2016. On the phone from Himachal Pradesh, the New Delhi-bred singer-songwriter talks about how he began recording songs including the aforementioned uneasy piano-led track in 2017.
He says, “I did a session at Stefan’s [Kaye, founder of ska band The Ska Vengers] house right after Peter Cat Recording Co finished [2019 album] Bismillah. I told Kartik [Pillai, producer, multi-instrumentalist] not to pack any of the stuff, because I wanted to use the drums.” Originally featuring Jayant Manchanda on bass and drummer Akshay Deokuliar [from media company RECK]. Eventually, three out of five songs from the session made it on to Milk Teeth, which will release on August 13th via Pagal Haina. Pandit adds, “It was a Frankenstein sort of thing. The process lasted so long. Wherever I was, I recorded.”
The song’s final version features members of Peter Cat, including piano and bass from Dhruv Bhola, drummer Karan Singh, plus trumpet and clarinet from Rohit Gupta to add a cinematic touch. While Pillai served as engineer for the sessions, Pandit helms production and mixing duties on the 10-track Milk Teeth, something he began picking up slowly over the last five years.
It was in 2014 that Pandit launched his debut EP Skunk in the Cellar and those songs have taken a journey of their own, even as the artist took on work with indie band Run! It’s the Kid, singer-songwriter Ditty aka Aditi Veena and Bhola’s project Bowls. He released music under a different moniker, Morning Mourning in 2018 and has now returned to releasing music under his own name. For those who know him for songs like “Salt in the Sea” and “The Climb” from seven years ago, “Aliza don’t count on me” seems to combine the experimentation of Morning Mourning and adds layers of indie finesse with its instrumentation.
While there was a music video being considered to launch “Aliza don’t count on me” and other songs off Milk Teeth, Pandit says he’s done waiting. “I’ve been waiting years to put this out. The album was technically done since November last year.”
Listen to “Aliza don’t count on me” below. Stream on more platforms here.
