Naren's indie round-up/ Aug 2025, Ep 3

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR

Justin-Uday and Hamsika Iyer/ Chai Ki Chuski

Label: Judo Music 

Rating: ****

From 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil' to 'Ee Hai Bambai Nagariya', there have been many songs about Mumbai. The latest one 'Chai Ki Chuski' is by composer duo Justin-Uday and singer Hamsika Iyer, with Jairaj Padmanabhan's marvellous video to boost.

The film shows typical scenes from regular Mumbai life, from local trains and BEST buses to cutting chais to pomfret bais to sugarcane vendors and vada pav joints to Marine Drive and cricket maidans. Hamsika's singing is exuberant, using street styles and phrases, and she puts in a good video performance too.

It's a fun song, with rhymes like chuski, dip ki, risky and kiski. Sriram Iyer's lyrics represent the Mumbai spirit, and Justin-Uday's composition bring out the city's cacophonous, chaotic charm convincingly. Jhakaas!

Sanyanth Naroth & Ankur Tiwari/ Kuch Na Rahe

Rating: Self-released 

Rating: ***

Sanyanth Naroth, songwriter of Pune soul-folk group Easy Wanderlings, teams up with talented singer Ankur Tewari on his debut solo single 'Kuch Na Rahe'.

Sanyanth composes and plays acoustic guitar on the song, which has an easygoing vibe, with Ankur writing and singing the lines, "Tum bula na sake, hum aa na sake, aur hum nahin rahe kuch bhi tumhare, tere kuch na rahe". 

Akshay Nair's video is a simple affair, alternating shots of the two musicians. The images and the tune stay with you.

Subhi/ Ishq Chalawa 

Label: Desi Trill

Rating: *** 1/2

New Delhi-born Los Angeles-based singer Subhi has been releasing songs quite regularly, blending traditional and folk elements into her western pop sound. On the new tune 'Ishq Chalawa' she sings lines in Punjabi, though the tune has a distinct Rajasthani folk flavour.

Subhi has a rustic timbre which is suited for earthy folk music. The song talks of the emotional toll of falling in love. Against bowed strings and desert rhythms, she sings, "Ishq chalawa, samajh na aawe, khele lakh lakh khel, ishq di chawaan, ghar na laage, hai paraya khel, tu chain gavaai na, tu dil kadi laayi na".

The video, by Ayush Saxena and TINDRbx, is shot in Jodhpur, and brings out the city's colour through street scenes and dances. Subhi is clad in an assortment of traditional costumes, and the look matches the song's mood.

Ippi Roy/ Kitaaben

Label: Self-released 

Raring; *** 1/2

Hailing from New Delhi, jazz vocalist Ipshita 'Ippi' Roy has now settled in Dallas. After releasing English songs over the past couple of years, she now forays into Hindi jazz.

'Kitaaben' is inspired by the modal composition style popularised by Miles Davis. While the lyrics are in Hindi, the singing style is jazz, with pianist Joshua Cossette and bassist Nick Woodhouse providing perfect accompaniment.

The song is a metaphorical look at books and the stories they contain. And the composition has an air that makes it perfect for a nightclub, with a smooth piano-voice combo at the end.

Nakash Aziz/ Tu Dikhayi De

Label; Warner

Rating: ** 1/2

Singer Nakash Aziz, who has many film songs to his credit, now comes out with the independent single 'Tu Dikhayi De'. It's a routine number, the kind which has been done often enough, with a film-styled video starring Nia Sharma.

Composer Anmol Daniel keeps a simple tune, and Noor writes, "Aankhein band kar lo phir bhi mujhko tu dikhayi de". Jasmin Oza's video has a nice look with lots of greenery, though there isn't much of a storyline. After a few listens, the monotony creeps in.





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