The Backyard Shrooms Return with New Single ‘Pitstop’

After dropping their 2018 debut EP Solitary Mind, New Delhi indie rock outfit The Backyard Shrooms went on to experience quite a whirlwind. Last year, the band was chosen to be one of the Top 24 artists for talent hunt NEXA Music. Not only did they get a music video made for their EP’s title track, but the outfit were also featured on Rolling Stone India’s December 2019 cover for their efforts. Guitarist-vocalist Rankeerat Singh says, “The fact that [composer] A.R. Rahman personally heard and handpicked our song was a big deal, we got to see how other artists across India go about showcasing their talent.”

Now Rankeerat, guitarist-keyboardist Sarvejeet Singh, bassist Aditya Vashisht and drummer Rahul Yadav are out with a new single in the shape of the pop-rock track “Pitstop.”

The group’s latest offering was initially penned two years ago and features a more synth-driven approach from what we heard on their EP but retains subtle guitar elements, a tight groove and their wistful vocal sections. “The song talks about being in a state of uneasiness. It’s about realizing the fact that there is an inner demonic evil dark side to an individual,” says Rankeerat. He adds, “’Pitstop’ refers to a little pause in one’s life that they take to think and analyze what their situation really is.”

The band have also put out a bonus release by sharing the track’s demo version too. According to them, the original version was much simpler sonically. “You can call it one of those bootlegs,” says the vocalist. Rankeerat also had a certain bond to that piece of music as he used it to write the lyrics to the song. He says, “It does mean a lot to me.”

“Pitstop” was recorded at New Delhi’s Sri Aurobindo Centre for Arts & Communication (SACAC) and was produced, mixed and mastered by Vashisht. The Backyard Shrooms also roped in musicians from SACAC such as Rahul Rai and Aveleon Giles Vaz who tracked bass and drums for the song respectfully. “Having worked with such wonderful musicians was a great learning experience,” says Rankeerat.

Due to the pandemic, the band hasn’t been able to meet and jam but they’ve used the time to produce music from their homes, and are planning on lining up more singles to be released in the future. The frontman says, “It’s going to be really exciting times.”

Stream “Pitstop” below and also hear the demo version.