Naren's indie round-up/ March 2026, Ep 2

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR

BombayMami/ Gulabi Mantra

Language & genre: English, pop/ RnB

Label: MNRK Records

Rating: *** 1/2

Indo-Swiss singer BombayMami made news last year with her single 'Fire In Delhi'. She is now due to release her debut album Peaceful Attitude next month.

As part of the build-up, she has released 'Gulabi Mantra' to mark International Women's Day on March 8. The song is nspired by the women's collective Gulabi Gang, known for standing up against violence and injustice. The motif, therefore, is the line, "My body, my voice, my kitty, my choice".

The song is backed by a well-choreographed video using pink as its theme. Director Aron Randhawa and choreographer Divya Nebel bring the best out of the tune. BombayMami's voice has that smoky club feel, which balances contemporary rhythm n' blues with an innate desi aura. Looking out for the rest of the album.

Malvika/ online/irl (EP)

Language & genre: English, pop

Label: Self-released 

Rating: *** 1/2

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Malvika Sheth comes up with an EP that describes various emotions people of the younger generation go through. Titled online/irl, it's a breezy 13-minute listen spread over five songs.

The opening number 'Be Or Be Seen?' is an atmospheric number which addresses the question of whether one should be visible about one's work or not. On 'Love Is A Game', she sings, "Love is a game that I'm losing". The next track 'High Note' is about the pursuit of approval, and 'Spiraling' tackles burnout and guilt, with Malvika singing, "Shame on me". Finally, there's 'Iconic', released as the first single, which has a very cinematic sound, and talks about self-belief. 

The interesting thing is that this isn't a regular western pop record, as studio producer Abhishek Singh uses a lot of Indian sounds and flavours, of flute, tabla and accordion. All In all, the EP is worth checking out by those who are facing dilemmas and looking to conquer various hurdles. There's a lot of identification here.

Shekhar Ravjiani & Arijit Singh/ Raina

Language & genre: Hindi, love song

Label: Garudaa Music

Rating: ****

Now that Arijit Singh has decided to quit playback singing, he can choose songs at his own will, depending on what suits his style. The new number 'Raina' fits in totally, with the added advantage that music is by Shekhar Ravjiani of Vishal-Shekhar.

It's a simple and melodious ballad, with Priya Saraiya's lines beginning, "Raina, uske jaisi hi tu baawri, raina raina, kitni khamoshiyon se bhai, thodi jaagi si, khoyi khoyi si, sard ke farsh pe soyi si, gum ho jaise chains, raina".

Arijit's singing has that romantic lilt, and Shekhar is aided by producers Rishabh Sharma and Akarsh Shetty, with some smooth guitar parts adorning the tune. It's a perfect song for a candlelight dinner.

Iqlipse Nova/ Promises

Language & genre: Hindi, pop

Label: Self-released

Rating: ***

There's been a sudden increase in music videos where the first couple of minutes are spent building up the song's background through dialogues. 'Promises', sung by Iqlipse Nova and featuring actor Aditi Sharma, is one of them.

The first 90 seconds talk about how two young people who have parted ways want to get back together. The song itself doesn't offer anything new, and the singing is quite monotonous. But it's a cute video, with its share of roses, balloons and ice-cream shots.

Iqlipse has composed the song with Vaibhav Pani, and shares lyrics credits with Ashwin Advani. The words go, "O mere soneya, yeh waada hain mera, ke raaton ko na hoga soon ghar tera". In keeping with the storyboard, the ending has a short dialogue section too. Completes the narrative.

Brite Roy/ From Shadow To Sky

Genre: Instrumental piano/ easy listening 

Label: ForeVision Digital

Rating: ****

Musician Brite Roy has done regular work as a composer and lyricist, often collaborating with singer Ishaan Nigam. He now makes his solo instrmental EP debut on From Shadow To Sky.

The record has four tracks played on piano, with sweeping arrangements for back-up. Where used, the rhythms are steady. From the opener 'Shadows In Silence' to the final piece 'Down In The Sky', he comes up with simple and supple melodies.

The album's feel is somewhat reminiscent of Yanni's studio albums where the focus was on piano. The EP is just 11 minutes long, and all through, the music is absorbing.





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