The Arinjoy Trio Keeps the Blues Alive with New EP ‘Talkin’ That Talk’

In 2019, Kolkata blues band the Arinjoy Trio made quite a splash with their eponymous seven-track debut album. Since then, the group – comprising vocalist-guitarist Arinjoy Sarkar, bassist Aakash Ganguly and drummer Sounak Roy – spent the pandemic years playing online gigs. Once things started opening up the band went back out to play to crowds and earlier this year, they returned to play at the Mahindra Blues Festival alongside Buddy Guy.

Now, the Arinjoy Trio are out with a brand-new EP, the four-track Talkin’ That Talk. The songs on the record have been part of the band’s live sets for a while, dating back to 2019. The EP opens with the dynamic and shape-shifting “Blues For Kirk.” Sarkar says, “It is dedicated to one of my contemporary blues heroes, the great Kirk Fletcher.” Next is the scintillating “Just Your Alibi,” which sounds like it would fit perfectly in a movie about espionage. “’Just Your Alibi’ was born out of my obsession with the music of Robert Cray and I might have subconsciously channeled my inner Steely Dan too,” says the singer.

The seven-and-a-half-minute blues ballad “Now I Think I’m Done” is a journey in itself and packs in plenty. Says Sarkar, “It is about one’s longing for romantic companionship and love while dealing with the fear of messing it all up when it does arrive.” The EP closes with the funky “Why You’re Taking So Long” and according to the guitarist “it is a funny way of explaining a hopelessly one-sided romantic situation.”

Throughout Talkin’ That Talk, there’s splendid musicianship heard. From crispy guitar solos, groovy drum and bass parts as well as emotive vocals. In addition, the band also beefed up their sound with tasty organ parts by John Mccullough (who currently plays for Van Morrison), heavenly strings arranged and played by Joe Deninzon (who has worked with the Who, Bruce Springsteen, Ritchie Blackmore and others) and melodic horns from Mike Snow.

Talkin’ That Talk has been produced by veteran Kolkata guitarist Amyt Datta. Sarkar says, “He spent four days with us in the studio making sure we recorded our parts properly in terms of execution and feel and even worked on the edits with us.” New York-based audio engineer and multi-Grammy award winner Marc Urselli mixed and mastered the record. “He made the EP way better than I had imagined it! We were all so happy with the tone, the mix and the mastering,” says Sarkar.

To further promote the EP, the Arinjoy Trio plans on touring India early next year and are even prepping merch. Sarkar says, “We have a desire to break into the international touring circuit and perform in other countries. We’ll be working towards that and hopefully, our dreams will come to fruition.”

Stream ‘Talkin’ That Talk’ on Spotify below: