The Ganesh Talkies Enter the Studio

The Ganesh Talkies. Photo: Naman Saraiya

Last time we spoke to Kolkata rock band The Ganesh Talkies vocalist-guitarist Suyasha Sengupta, she was talking about how she was writing angrier, heavier material that gave people something to think about. After composing a politically-charged song called “The Great Indian Freak Show,” Sengupta did try to write a love song, but ended up getting a near-sardonic tune called “Dendrite.” She says, “It’s a song about doing a lot of rubbish stuff and being on a downer but still being happy.”

“Dendrite” [named after an adhesive] is their latest single, set to release in June, recorded with Kolkata’s Miti Adhikari, who also worked on their 2014 debut full-length album In Technicolor. On “Dendrite”, guitarist Ronodeep Bose bounces off a bright lead in what still sounds like a fun, dance rock song, albeit a bit jaded in its theme. Says Sengupta, “We’re being a bit degenerate. But we’re done writing about dancing and fooling around.”

With a couple of years of touring behind them, Sengupta says the band was definitely “younger” when they wrote songs such as “Dancing! Dancing!” and “Item Song” in In Technicolor. Even in the studio with Adhikari, she feels they were “clueless kids.” For their upcoming five-track EP, to be recorded in June at Adhikari’s Blooperhouse Studio, Sengupta takes on a lot of songwriting, as well as samples and electronic elements, which were previously programmed by their former keyboardist Nabarun Bose. She says, “I write the basic structure, Roheet [Mukherjee, bassist] and I sit to arrange the song and then the band comes in to tweak and add more parts to the songs.”

Apart from the fun-leaning “Dendrite” and “Triangle,” The Ganesh Talkies provoke thought and dialog on songs such as “The Great Indian Freak Show,” “Rum & Coke” and “Protest,” which had its first live run last month. Even in their live shows, the wardrobe has changed from shiny sequinned suits to hospital gowns and tie-dye T-shirts. “We want to talk to people through our music and get them thinking”