Yuhina’s Debut EP ‘Mnemonic’ Channels Mysticism and Catharsis

In the last four years that she’s been making music, Gangtok-raised, Bengaluru-based artist Yuhina Lachungpa (who goes by her first name as an artist) says “a lot of life has happened.”

The vocalist, producer, composer and songwriter who just released her debut EP Mnemonic via Krunk Kulture in December, became a full-time musician after leaving her day job in the corporate world as a product designer. She found a mentor and friend in fellow artist Ruel Immanuel, but his passing evoked not just the grief of a personal but artistic nature as well, one that she explores on pulsing songs like “OMW,” which comes with a neon-tinged music video directed by filmmaker Ashaad.

There’s also been a “spiritual awakening” for Yuhina, as she traversed these “truly drastic shifts” to not just release Mnemonic but also perform it at Echoes of Earth festival in Bengaluru last month. Up next, she’ll also be taking on her first multi-city tour supporting New Delhi artist Komorebi, starting January 19th in Bengaluru and ending on February 23rd in Goa. Along the way, Yuhina and Komorebi will perform in New Delhi (January 20th), Hyderabad (February 4th), Mumbai (February 8th), Pune (February 9th), Chennai (February 10th) and Puducherry (February 11th).

Earlier in 2023, Yuhina was also part of the Amplify Music Incubator cohort, which she says equipped her with industry knowledge and built a rapport with other artists. “All of which really helped me navigate this release with more professionalism and lesser imposter syndrome,” she says.

Yuhina trusts in the mysticism of the way the call for Echoes of Earth and Amplify came just as she was processing the loss of her best friend. She credits Immanuel as the one who introduced her to working on digital audio workstations [DAWs] such as Ableton and Logic. “He co-produced the last three tracks [‘OMW,’ ‘For Chenrezig’ and ‘Amor Fati’] on Mnemonic with me, which is why they’re the most production-heavy tracks on there,” she adds.

Growing up in Sikkim, Yuhina says she began “intentionally listening” to more electronic music about five to six years ago, feeling a deeper emotional connect by discovering artists through her partner. “I was only aware of acoustic music bands since that was the predominant culture [in Sikkim],” she says. After getting into electronic music, Yuhina realized she didn’t a band to create the music she envisioned. The artist adds, “I realized that I could create the soundscapes in my head, on my own, just using a DAW.” From GarageBand on her laptop, Yuhina created her first set of five songs – singles like “Celeste,” “Solara” and “Lego House,” plus Mnemonic opening tracks “Brave” and “Crossing.” She adds, “I also invested in a Helicon Voicelive Touch 2 because I’d seen a video of [New Zealand artist] Kimbra using that sometime in 2012 and had been obsessed with it since.”

All of it – the love for electronic music, the influence of Immanuel, understanding production gear – has arguably shaped Mnemonic into being the shape-shifting, trippy electronica record that it is. “Brave” has brighter splashes that’s reminiscent of Bengaluru torchbearer trip-hop duo Sulk Station, while “Crossing” is punctuated by a bell-like lightness that also guides the listener. “For Chenrezig” – which adapts a Buddhist chant for Avalokiteshvara, the Buddha incarnate of compassion – is almost like a dark but clarity-seeking guided meditation, something she describes as a “tribal-futurism” version of the chant.

Yuhina says about adapting it for the track, “We had a cassette back home that had this chant and every time it would play, it would do something to me.” A decade passed without her listening to it, until four years ago when she felt drawn to find it again. Scouring the depths of YouTube with just keywords (“Many, many hours went by googling ‘Buddhist chant, soaring, emotional’”) until she found it again. “This time I knew exactly what it was doing to me. After that, every time I’d sit down to meditate and my mind was completely unruly, I’d start to sing it and it would ground me. Every single time. Even my cats respond differently when I sing it,” she adds. The EP closes with “Amor Fati,” a grooving, swelling Bjork-like introspection that’s also an invocation of sorts, much like most of Mnemonic.

By her own admission, Yuhina is not much of a multitasker but she’s figuring out her way as an independent artist in India and particularly in Bengaluru as well. “I used to feel like I’d need to leave the country to really be able to immerse in a mature music culture, but I was also severely unaware of just how much we have going on right here,” she says.

While her Echoes of Earth set was an overcast 3 pm slot that kicked off the day’s proceedings, Yuhina does have an ideal performance that she wants to manifest. It would be after 10 pm, with “a lot of iridescent, holographic set-décor, trippy visuals on a giant 3D geometrical form” above her and lighting that would “intensify the mood and get everyone to really go inward.”

She’d want her audience to sit or lie down or dance as they feel, surrounded by “soft mats and cushions, candles, incense” and other tools for the experience. The wish list extends to include instrumentalists on flute, drums, bells, strings and a modular synth in front of her, preferably in some kind of amphitheater or somewhere in “proper wilderness […] or a giant dome.” She adds, “We end at 12 am with a meditation.”

That kind of show might be some ways away, but until then Mnemonic and Yuhina’s live set can still hold a transportive power, which she’s gearing up to present on tour with Komorebi. She adds, “So grateful for the opportunity to tour with another woman, also majorly looking forward to learning everything I can about touring and performing from someone seasoned like Tarana [Marwah aka Komorebi] and her team.”

Yuhina says she’s also collaborating with a band and starting a separate project soon, one that integrates electronic elements with live instrumentation. There’s also limited-edition jewelry coming up, which is handcrafted merch representing tracks from Mnemonic. “Life also more often than not has plans of its own, so I’m going to continue to remain open to that as well, and hope for the best,” she adds.

Listen to/buy ‘Mnemonic’ on Bandcamp below. Stream on more platforms here.