Naren's indie round-up/ June 2023, Ep 3

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR

KRi8.LABs feat Uzair Merchant/ The 8th Sin

Supported by; Vevo

Rating: ***

In his new project 'The 8th Sin', released under the name KRi8.LABs, filmmaker and tech wiz Uzair Merchant blends music and AI to create a cutting-edge sound and video.

The whole approach is futuristic, as the song tells the story of Mia, a scientist on a mission to save her daughter from an extremist group. The sound is a blend of Arabic and Bollywood textures with straightahead rapping.

The video, shot in Doha, Los Angeles and Vancouver, has a distinct Marvel influence, and adds a new dimension to what would otherwise be a routine club-friendly track.

Shrae/ Strawberry Pancakes

Label: Self-released 

Rating: ***

The vocalist of the band Jazzafools, Shrae has released her second single 'Strawberry Pancakes'. She had released her debut 'A Game For Two' last year.

The song talks of dealing with pain, finding hope and moving on "one step at a time". Shrae's voice has the right emotion, and the song has a good mix of jazz and rhythm n' blues.

The rhythm section is tight. Production work by Raag Sethi is neat, and his guitar solo in the latter half is like the proverbial icing on the pancake.

Keerthy Narayanan fear Nirvaan Kelly Rai/ Space In Between

Label: SoulTrax Studios

Rating: ****

Talking of guitar solos, there's a brilliant one in Keerthy Narayanan's composition 'Space In Between', sung by Nirvaan Kelly Rai. The solo is by Vinod Arora, with Keerthy appearing in the video with models Sahil Chopra and Shambhavi Thakur.

The song has a distinct retro rock flavour, with some good songwriting. Madhav Das writes the lyrics, and talks about hypnotic rhythms that "like a beautiful but evil woman, they drown me, till I thought, oh I was in heaven".

Nirvaan's voice has a certain rasp that goes perfectly with the theme of the song and the script of the video. 

Tulsi Kumar/ Bolo Na

Label: T-Series 

Rating: ***

Playback singer Tulsi Kumar has released "Bolo Na', the third single fron her recent Truly Konnected series. It's a simple song backed by a picturesque video shot in Kashmir.

With music by Anurag Saikia, the song combines a travel mood with the feeling of dejection in love. Avinash Chauhan's lyrics are, "Bolo na bolo na, jo bhi hai dil mein chupa, bolo na bolo na, humse hui gar khataa".

A special feature is the use of Kumaoni lyrics sung by Abhishek Nailwal. It adds a folk touch to a hummable melody.

Ashwini Vocals/ Kyun

Label: Self-released 

Rating: *** 1/2

Singer Ashwini, who goes by the name Ashwini Vocals, has done a few independent tracks before, including 'Teri Meri Dosti' with Harshit Singh Baid. She has a pleasant voice, which she utilises to full effect on 'Kyun'.

Music and lyrics are by Shubham Agrawal. The lines have a mischievous innocence, like on "Kya bigada hai maine tumhara, kyun itna mujhe pyar karte ho tum".

At two minutes and 40 seconds it's way too short. But the melody lingers and so does Ashwini's singing, which makes ideal use of emotive pauses.


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