Naren's indie round-up/ Sept 2026, EP 2


BY NARENDRA KUSNUR

Indian Ocean/ Bol Ari

Language & genre: Hindi, fusion-rock

Label: Self-released 

Rating: ****

The opening lines are "Bol ari o dharti bol, raj singhasan daanvadol". They're from a verse by famous poet Asrar-ul-Haq 'Majaz', but in the background, you have rock guitars and supple rhythms. The vocals are trademark Rahul Ram.

Welcome to Indian Ocean's new song 'Bol Ari'. It's their first in four years, and to give it their own touch, they add a few of their own lines, written by Himanshu Joshi. "Ab bhi sach hai kya bataayein, dikhta hai jo dekh na paaye," they go, with drummer Amit Kilam and Himanshu joining Rahul in the vocals. Nikhil Rao has some wonderful guitar parts, and Tuheen Chakraborty is on percussion.

The lyric video, by Priya Bharambhatt, uses illustrations to express a feeling of resistance and resilience. The song is another addition to Indian Ocean's cap, and should be perfect for live rendition, like most of their tunes.

Rascals Of Rhyme/ Souvenirs Of Goodbye

Language & genre: English, indie-rock

Label: Self-released 

Rating: ****

Mumbai band Rascals Of Rhyme released two new songs 'Souvenirs Of Goodbye' and 'Stoned' at a recent get-together. Both are lyrically strong, with Shruti Nair's natural vocals acting as an advantage.

'Souvenirs of Goodbye' begins, "All alone without you I'm waking, still feel your warmth in my bed, the shirt you wore hanging there as you left it, holding on to you with its threads, my lonely heart is aching, blackened skies, souvenirs of goodbye." 

It's a song about a broken relationship and memories, and the guitars by Amit Pal and Ebrahim Vasi complement the vocals. Bhav Narang's bass and Rohan Tyagi's drums complete the line-up.

The video is mostly black n' white with an occasional shift to colour. Visuals of the hanging shirt, an empty bed, a watch and an open notebook are used to symbolise the words. 

The other song 'Stoned' comes with a lyric video. It's uptempo, has a strong hook and talks of rearranging things in life. Both these songs have the right feel and smoothness.

Deify/ Lapels

Language & genre: English, pop

Label: Self-released, promoted by first.wav

Rating: ***

Singer-songwriter Deify is 18, and writes on a subject close to her generation. On 'Lapels', she talks of breaking the norms and finding one's own path. Even the video is a snub against corporate lifestyle.

It's a pop song with an uptempo vibe. It starts in a kind of weird way but has a smart catch-line with the words, "I, I fold my own lapels, and I do it so well, and boy, girl, who can tell?"

The video is a solo act, with Deify showing brisk moves. It's a late-teenage-friendly song, and should have takers I'm.that age group.

Various/ Ganpati releases

Language & genre: Multiple, devotional

Every year, artistes come up with new releases to mark Ganeshotsav. Here are two. No ratings for these.

Abhay Nayampally & Aarya Ambekar/ Vatapi Ganapathim: Carnatic composer Muthuswami Dikshitar's raga Hansadhwani creation 'Vatapi Ganapathim' has been performed by numerous Carnatic artistes. Here we have an interesting blend where a Hindustani vocalist, Aarya, joins a Carnatic guitarist, Abhay The basic melody is maintained, but both artistes add their individual touch.

Ruupa Raaman & Viraj Joshi/ Moreshwar Mauli: Pt Bhimsen Joshi's grandson Viraj teams up with composer Ruupa Raaman on the traditional Marathi song 'Moreshwar Mauli'. He has a pleasant voice, and Ruupa's music is appealing. The piece is arranged by Atul Raninga. Flautist Hrishikesh Majumdar, tabla and pakhawaj player Sreedhara Chari and mridangam exponent Sridhar Parthasarathy make contributions, and there are recorded parts by late percussionist Deepak Borkar. The song is available on YouTube but will be streamed on audio platforms only on September 25.





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