Naren's indie round-up/ March 2022, Ep 4

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR 

The Brief Escape ft Dan Konopka/ Bye N' Hi

Label: Self-released 

Rating: ****

Three-member band The Brief Escape team up with American drummer Dan Konopka on their debut single 'Bye N' Hi'. Aided by a catchy tune and tight groove, this is a real cool track.

Uday Dayal sings mainly in English but there's a Hindi part too. Pablo D'Costa produces a sizzling lead guitar solo, and Abhimanyu Prathap plays bass and keyboards. Besides playing drums, Konopka has mixed and mastered the song.

The animated video by 'Mister Tandon' has been smoothly done. And the highlights are the line "Let's just say goodbye even before we say hello" and the 'Pa Para Paparapa' part that linger in your senses. Loop-worthy.

Jasmin Walia & Asim Riaz/ Nights & Flights

Label: Self-released

Rating: ***

British Indian artiste Jasmin Walia is best known for her single 'Bom Diggy' with singer Zack Knight. She now teams up with rapper Asim Riaz on 'Nights & Flights'.

It's a trendy track blending urban pop and rhythm n' blues with desi rap. Music is by Tyron Hapi and Jasmin. The lyrics blend English, Hindi and Punjabi, using lines like, "This is the life I choose, kyon usey mana karoon".

Sam Malhi's video gives equal footage to the two singers. The choreography gives it a snazzy look. If only it had a hook to grab the listener.

Skreen 6/ Watch Me Die

Label: Self-released 

Rating: ***

A young six-member hard rock band from Kochi, Skreen 6 made news with their debut single 'Rockin Head'. The follow-up 'Watch Me Die' again is a good concert rock number with crisp rhythm guitars and angry lyrics.

Vocalist Amal Dev displays angst as he sings, "Bright burning bloodshot eyes screaming they want your life, I'll stab you till you breathe your last breath". Sounds gory and vengeful but the song is apparently about a desperate and hate-filled man.

M Krishnan's lead guitar solo at the end is crisp. The band says that the song aims to "touch upon the darkest versions of ourselves", wishing people would do the opposite. Wonder how many listeners will interpret it that way.

Nikhil D'souza/ Saiyaara

Label: Self-released 

Rating: *** 1/2

Nikhil D'souza has been regularly releasing both English and Hindi songs. While he seemed more comfortable with the former earlier, he now comes up with a pretty neat number in Hindi.

The highlight of 'Saiyaara' is its warm melody and simplicity. Pinky Poonawala's lyrics are relatable, with lines like, "Jo bhi ho tu meri rehna, tu na ho toh main bewajaah".

The video by Gaurav Saha and Joyjeet Sarkar is fresh, complementing Nikhil's voice. This is a tune one can hum along with.

Suyyash Rai/ Naina Mere

Label: Warner Music Indie Music Label

Rating: ** 1/2

The latest Warner Music India track 'Naina Mere' attempts to sound like a cross between Himesh Reshammiya and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan. Featuring singer Suyyash Rai, it has models Pratik Sehajpal and Niti Taylor posing with the same two expressions in small town locales, complete with the ubiquitous cycle rickshaw and gol gappa cart used by director Jay Parikh.

Though Suyyash has a distinctly throaty voice he tries to sound over-expressive with guttural 'galey mein kharaash' effects, going off on some notes. Luckily, Anmol Daniel's melody and the Sufi-pop back-up vocals compensate.

Pankaj Dixit's lyrics use lines like, "Naina mere ishq mein maahir ho gaye, tere liye khud se mujahir ho gaye". Again, it's a well-written song though the execution could have been less formula-driven. Maybe the plan was to think within the box.