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


BY NARENDRA KUSNUR

Daraaz/ Insaan

Language & genre: Hindi, rock

Label: Self-released 

Rating: *** 1/2

Hyderabad band Daraaz is out with its single 'Insaan', which talks of inner struggles and the hope for a better world. Soundwise, it has a concert-friendly Hindi-rock vibe, with some smooth guitar lines.

The song's lyrics stand out. The chorus is, "Marti nahin hai soch, insaan marta hai, aag mein jalke woh sapne bunta hai". One of the verses has the words, "Zindagi hai karvaan, hum kirdaar hai yahaan, hausley ne di panaah, har koshish ko salaam".

Aarindam D. Tripathy and the rest of the group maintain tightness, using a supple rhythm section. The chorus has the sing-along factor.

Harsh Karmakar & Apurva Kedia/ Zindagi

Language & genre: Hindi, pop

Label: Self-released 

Rating: ***

Producer-pianist-singer Harsh Karmakar and Singer-lyricist Apurva Kedia showcased their new song 'Zindagi' at an event at Mumbai's 3 Art House last month. It's an uptempo pop song with philosophical thoughts of what life is about and the search for happiness.

The song is structured as a duet with Harsh singing the opening parts and Apurva responding mid-way. His lines are, "Kehde kya kehna hai tujhko mujhe zindagi" and her answer is, "Sab kuch toh keh diya maine, aur naya kya kahoon tere baare mein zindagi".

Even the arrangement follows an interesting pattern, with a jazz-styled interlude featuring Harsh on keys, Aradhya Khurana on bass and Kush on drums. Synths are used cleverly in the background. And to sum up the song's mood, Apurva sings, "Jo mili thodi khushi gham ko kyon mein dhoondti". Enjoy.

Indo Warehouse feat. Rashmeet Kaur/ Chor

Language & genre: Punjabi, electronic dance

Label: Indo Warehouse/ Robach

Rating; *** 1/2

Popular Punjabi singer Rashmeet Kaur is back, and this time it's in collab with New York-based electronic duo Indo Warehouse, comprising Kahani and Kunal Merchant.

With its danceable flavour, catchy tune, filmy vibe and party spirit, the song can actually be labelled a banger. Rashmeet sings, "Gali gali mein shor macha hai, dil mera le le chor hai" and sets the foot-tapping in motion.

Kahani's production is tight, using house and techno influences smoothly. Perfect for a club night-out.

Raj Grover/ Chal Kahin

Language & genre: Hindi, love song

Presented by: Voila Digi

Rating: ** 1/2

Making his debut, Raj Grover produces another of those teenybopper love songs that talks of the moon, stars and dreams. 'Chal Kahin' has got a cute video, featuring the pretty Kritika Chauhan, but musically, leaves mixed feelings.

While Mann Taneja's tune is catchy, the singing is kind of mechanical, with little expression. Lyrics like "Chal kahin udd chale, hawaaon mein kho jaayen, sitaron ke peeche chale, sapnon mein hum mil jaayen" have been heard far too often, though they still work.

Yet Raj deserves marks for sincerity. Hopefully he'll work on the shortcomings.

Sachet-Parampara/ Kaamil

Language & genre: Hindi, love song

Label: T-Series

Rating: ***

The couple Sachet and Parampara Tandon come up with this cute love song 'Kaamil', which has lyrics by the talented Kausar Munir. The duo composes and sings the song, which has a good acoustic guitar backdrop and neat harmonium stretch, but gets a bit crowded towards the end.

The song talks about mutual admiration and respect through lines like, "Tu hamesha kaamil tha, saari kamiya mujh mein thi" and "Tune haath thaama tha, raasta dikhaaya tha, meri hi nadaani thi dil raah bana na paaya tha".

Srishti Jain's video captures some good outdoor shots. The couple look as good as they sound.

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