Watch: When Chai Met Toast Spread the Happiness on ‘Firefly’

“This band is an emotion. There’s a happy feeling that goes into us while playing.” Frontman Ashwin Gopakumar is talking about why his band When Chai Met Toast is, pretty much, the sonic equivalent of a bright sunny day. The indie/acoustic band have just released their first single “Firefly,” which ticks all the boxes ”“ a simple melody that’s laid out by an acoustic guitar and a banjo [played by guitarist Achyuth Jaigopal], vocal hooks and a sing-along chant of “Hey!”

The video follows the band across their live shows over the last year, when Gopakumar returned from study commitments in the U.S. in December, to begin jamming and writing with Jaigopal [who also performs with folk artist Raghu Dixit], keyboardist Palee Francis and drummer Pai Sailesh. When Chai Met Toast — who originally came together as a duo in late 2014– are influenced by indie bands such as Mumford and Sons and The Lumineers, whom they don’t mind being directly compared to. They now have a four-track EP called The Joy of Little Things set to release on September 9th. Says Gopakumar, “The songs on the EP are the ones that felt really good live.”

The EP comprises songs that the core songwriting duo of Gopakumar and Jaigopal wrote by jamming long-distance. Considering Jaigopal’s busy touring schedule with Raghu Dixit, Gopakumar says they are constantly sending each other recordings over the phone. “We still do that. I was at home and he [Jaigopal] was in Spain and he was sending me stuff from his hotel room.”

The spontaneity helps, at least that’s how Gopakumar explains “Firefly” ended up with a Hindi line between English verses. Even one of their best known songs ”“ “Beautiful World” ”“ has over 170,000 hits on YouTube and features Tamil and English lyrics. The EP also includes live staples such as “Superman” and “The Joy of Little Things.”

When Chai Met Toast and Aathma perform at Indigo Live Music Bar, Bengaluru, on July 10th, 2016. Event details here.