Naren's indie round-up/ April 2024, Ep 3

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR 

Divyam Sodhi & Khwaab/ Piya

Label: first.wav

Rating: *****

Hailing from Karnal in Haryana, singer Divyam Sodhi has been hugely influenced by ghazals and Punjabi folk. He has a very pleasant and emotive voice, and his reels have a sizeable Instagram following.

On the song 'Piya', he teams up with producer Khwaab. It's a simple song about companionship, set against a catchy guitar line. Divyam sings, "Laut aao ghar, piya tera kaandha mera sar; maanguta umar, piya tera kaandha mera sar". 

The diction has a Punjabi trace. The variations he uses to sing 'maanguta' are fabulous. There are brilliant lines like, "Asar tujh mein hai, marham mein nahin, mushkil hoti hai, kurbat se sahi, jee le pal bhar, piya tera kaandha mera sar". Most important, the tune sticks.

Mirande Shah/ Ranjha

Label: Self-released 

Rating: ****

Talking of voices, Ahmedabad-based singer Mirande Shah has a texture that's as sweet as they come. Her latest single is the love song 'Ranjha', boosted by Vishal Makwana's serene, riverside video.

Darshan Shah produces the song, which features Polina Kermesh's haunting cello solo, Nishith Dhinora's guitar and Sapan Anjaria's tabla. The instrumentation matches the voice well.

The words, written by Mirande, begin, "Ranjha mahi mera sona mohe rang diyo, bal bal jaaoon mein tore rang rajawa, Ranjha mahi mera". Besides the quality, the voice has gone through a lot of taiyyari too.

Jaimin feat. Kadambari Zokarkar/ No Vices

Label: Self-released 

Rating: *****

Kolkata-based singer-songwriter Jaimin had released the outstanding album Cutting Loose in 2022. While those were all solo songs, he comes up with a duet on his new single 'No Vices', with singer Kadambari Zokarkar joining him.

It's a rather interesting subject, about two people trying to get to know each other, but realising that can't be a good pair because of their different choice of beverages - one apparently preferring tea, the other whisky. The thought of starting with bar-room chatter is smart.

The song is presented in a narrative style, with the singers expressing their feelings in turns. Pradyuman Singh Manot's piano and Anchit Sengupta's guitar go well with the tale. It's a song that'll make you try and learn each word, with an occasional smile for company. Heard with some tea - or whisky.

Nush Lewis & Ayan De/ In The Shadows 

Label: Self-released 

Rating: ****

Singer-composer Nush Lewis and producer Ayan De get together on 'In The Shadows', a song that talks of the collective despair of people in a world marred by war. It's actually an elevated version of Nush's 2015 song 'Frozen Eyes'.

The song has some magnificent orchestration, using keys, string effects and percussion powerfully. Nush sounds impactful when she sings, "Take me in your dreams tonight, hold me close and stop this fight, oh oh, oh oh".

Though the song is less than two and a half minutes, it strikes with its darkness and depth.

Lyla & Mayuresh A./ Bookmarks (EP)

Label: Woodstock Music Box

Rating: ****

Mumbai singer-songwriter Lyla teams up with composer-producer Mayuresh A. on the four-track EP Bookmarks. The sound uses electronica and ambient effects to good effect, with Lyla's singing at the forefront.

The interestingly-titled 'More Than Coffee Less Than Coffee' has some well-structured keyboards, a guitar interlude and jazz-inflected effects. The lines go, "There's no place where I'm gonna stay cos' I just have to make more than coffee less cocaine". The metaphor-filled 'Goldfish!' has racy semi-spoken vocals, with the lines, "I know it looks good from the outside, it's suffocating in here".

The singing and writing are superb on the guitar-layered 'Perpetual', where she sings "This is a home, not just a house, I wouldn't change a thing even if I could". On 'Hem Of Your Shirt', Lyla sings, "Together we'll fall in love again", before some wonderful keyboard display. All in all, a chilled-out collection.