The Derelicts Take a ‘Highway Drive’ on Euphoric New Song

Along the way of writing new, dancefloor-ready music, Kochi band The Derelicts began feeling like they were sci-fi writers. Now, they present their first song in six years, the shiny, synth-driven “Highway Drive” focuses on rebels escaping the clutches of a tyrant named Nura on the planet Ichok.

Vocalist, synth artist and guitarist Ashwin Nath says they worked with artist Chirag Swamy to create a comic book that will accompany their new material. Nath adds, “The lore helped us a lot in visualizing the sound we want to go for. The setting, the colors, the characters, the environment… help a lot with planning the sounds of the song.”

They’ve taken inspiration from their band name and written a story that brings together four characters forming an unlikely union to challenge the tyrant Nura. Bassist and guitarist Sreekanth Bhasi says they’ve had the idea of The Derelicts being four aliens from another planet who make it to Earth and the conversation progressed from there. “In a way, we have sort of felt like aliens trying to figure out how to live in a society engineered by our ancestors, since our childhood- around the time we all found music. And I’m sure most people have had escapist thoughts of wanting to be a part of something big. This comic for us is one such escapist vision of being part of something bigger and crazier than our mundane lives where nothing otherwise seems to happen,” he adds.

Compared to their 2018 self-titled debut, there’s a more vibrant electronic sound that’s added over and above their disco, funk and rock blend. It gives “Highway Drive” a polished, arena-ready sound that is ripe to take over stages all over the country. Guitarist Sabarish Menon says they had a lot of fun touring the country after the release of their self-titled EP, but the pandemic did hit them hard. He says, “Some of us made major life decisions, some of us faced really tough life situations. Our previous drummer, Biju [Karthik] had to step down and we brought in Paul [Varghese] which drastically altered the sound of the band.”

He likens this “crazy ride” to the fictional journey that’s soundtracked on “Highway Drive.” Menon adds, “There will be crazier rides but each ride gives you something to live for.” Nath goes on to credit producer Leslie Charles, their manager Siddharth Nair and audio engineer Mrinal Anand from Stained Class Productions as key in helping The Derelicts find their way.

Menon says their next songs are only going to be bigger and more ambitious as they unveil the lore, especially with “visual media plans.” Nath adds, “Through our upcoming album we want to establish the sounds of Ichok. For both us, and the listeners.”

Varghese offers a few more insights into the characters seen and heard so far – Brucci, wields the mythical Axe of Chazz, BassiUni is a notorious bounty hunter, Ash13 is a musical AI and Poly is their pilot. One speaks only in references to songs by rap-rock/alternative band Linkin Park, while Poly is only interested in late Bollywood actor Amrish Puri. “A lot of our life experiences have become plot points and people we know have become characters,” the drummer says.

Listen to “Highway Drive” below. The song is out on major streaming platforms on July 26.