Tough On Tobacco Launch Second Album
The Mumbai alt rock band release their new double album, ‘Big Big Joke’, on May 15th
Tough On Tobacco at NH7 Weekender Bengaluru in 2012. Photo: Karan Patil
One of the first things frontman of Mumbai alt rock band Tough On Tobacco, Sidd Coutto, says about their upcoming double album, Big Big Joke, is that it’s pretty outdated. He adds, “It’s been three years since we wrote this.”
Since ToT’s last release, The Happy Goat, in 2009, Coutto has been caught up with at least six other projects, including his punk side project Punk Ass Orifice, Ankur and the Ghalat Family, Ankur & Sidd [with Ankur Tewari], Sidd & Sid [with Siddharth Basrur], dubstep duo ViceVersa and his solo songwriting. “I have two solo albums coming up and the Punk Ass Orifice album this year [apart from Tough On Tobacco]. I have about 20-30 songs for my solo stuff. I’ll stop counting after 100,” says Coutto.
The counter keeps ticking with Tough On Tobacco’s Big Big Joke, a double album to be released in two parts consisting of 16 tracks. The five-piece band whittled the songs down to that number after originally writing 22 tracks. “It was overwhelming to finish. The first album was a solo thing, after which the band [comprising Jai Row Kavi on drums, Gaurav Gupta and Pozy Dhar on guitars and Johan Pais on bass] formed to play the album. With Big Big Joke we wrote a lot of it together. It was a collective effort [over three years], and that’s why I got to do other projects,” says Coutto. Down to 16 tracks, with eight on each disc, Coutto tells us about his theory of marginal utility of songs. “All my albums have eight songs. That way, you can listen to all tracks in one go. You lose out on the feel if you have more than that,” Coutto says, citing how his original alt rock band Zero’s album Hook had eight tracks by chance and everything after that had no more than eight tracks, “so that you don’t get bored.”
The band hops genres in the two-part album from Part 2’s pop rock single “Do What You Gotta Do” to rock ballad “Love Love Love,” and the title track, “Big Big Joke,” which Coutto says has an “Indus Creed vibe.”
Last month, the band posted an amusing album teaser (look below), but it is their recent dude-looks-like-a-lady family photoshoot and its behind-the-scene video that has got fans talking. Keeping in with their funny side, Tough On Tobacco will release Part 2 of Big Big Joke on May 15th at Blue Frog, Mumbai, and wait until October to release Part 1, which is a more pop rock-oriented album. “It gives us a reason to tour twice,” says Coutto.
Tough On Tobacco Big Big Tour
May 15th, 2013 ”“ Blue Frog, Mumbai
May 16th, 2013 ”“ Blue Frog, New Delhi
May 23rd, 2013 ”“ Hard Rock Cafe, Bengaluru
May 26th, 2013Â ”“ Escape Festival, Naukuchiatal
May 31st, 2013 ”“ High Spirits, Pune
June 6th, 2013Â ”“ BOMB Thursdays at Kino 108, Mumbai
Watch the album teaser for Big Big Joke here
