Naren's indie round-up/ Nov 2026, Ep 1

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR 

Mohit Chauhan/ Shimle

Language & genre: Hindi, pop

Label: Self-released 

Rating: *** 1/2

Singer-songwriter Mohit Chauhan pays tribute to the magic of Shimla on his new track, appropriately titled 'Shimle'. The video, by Parasher Baruah, has some marvellous shots of the train journey and marketplace, besides aerial views captured on drone.

The song has been written and sung by Mohit, who also plays guitar. Bablu's percussion provides a vibrancy and folk arrangements provide an ethnic flavour. The words are, "Shimle ja, koi hai, tere sang ja, koi hai, Mall ka chakkar laga zaroor", a reference to Mall Road.

Part of Mohit's forthcoming Musafir album, the song ends with a lively folk dance. The words, tune and video combine to bring out the flavour of the region.

Aanchal Tyagi, Abhijeet Srivastava/ Hisaab

Language & genre: Hindi/ Punjabi, indie

Label: Universal Music 

Rating: ***

Aanchal Tyagi sings and stars in the video 'Hisaab', which is about a match-making exercise which ends up with the girl and boy liking each other. The song is aimed at audiences in smaller towns and has a certain simplicity.

Aanchal's voice and style are unconventional, with some 1960s influences. The composition is by Abhijeet Srivastava, with both of them sharing the lyrics blending Hindi and Punjabi.

The song may take to grow, but it's a sweet and simple video. Aanchal appears with Anshuman Rai under Bhargav Jyoti Kashyap's direction. Best to first check on YouTube instead of just having an audio experience. Once you get a hang of the tune, either medium is fine.

Ananya Jafa/ Solomon 1 (EP)

Language & genre: English, indie

Label: Self-released 

Rating: *** 1/2

Call it a concept EP, if you please. Over four tracks spanning 14 minutes, Ananya Jafa's new record Solomon 1 uses Biblical themes of wisdom, faith and consequence to explore feelings of ambition, greed and obsession.

In her mid-20s, Jafa displays a certain maturity in her writing, as she creates an imaginary space called Solomon Sanatorium, where personal experiences take shape through fiction, theatrical storytelling and dark humour.

Equally significant, the album has strong production qualities, overseen by Jafa herself with collaborators Shabbir, Faizan, 30Key!, Tanvi Joshi and Bongoland. The sound is a smooth blend of alternative pop, rhythm n' blues, hip-hop and club-styled electronica.

The tracks are named 'Open Sesame', 'Ballerina', 'Smoke On That' and 'Dirty', with Jafa singing with the right expression. Some of the lines are brilliant. On 'Smoke Like That', she sings, "I've had enough and I'm drowning under it all, I'm drunk on love and I'll listen if I fall, how does it feel to find someone?, how does it feel to lie in love?, I gave it all and I'm now too broken to call, I gave it all and I'm now afraid of withdrawal." For more such gems, catch the streaming apps.

Danish Sood feat Pranay Parti/ Believe Me

Language & genre: English, pop

Label: Self-released 

Rating: ***

Delhi-based singer-songwriter Danish Sood has had songs on the OTT series Mismatched and Call Me Bae, besides the single 'Slow Down'. His latest song 'Believe Me' is a break-up number which talks of how two people can fall apart even if they still love each other.

The song has a pop meets rhythm n' blues feel, with Pranay Parti"s synthesiser backing up with the melody line. The words begin, "Breathe in, breathe out, it's only just a matter of chance" and emphasise on the line, "I cannot never see you again".

The song comes a few months after Danish's single 'Butterfly Tattoo', which was more uptempo. Once again, he keeps it short.

No Neighbours Around/ Apocalypse

Language & genre: English, hard rock

Label: Self-released 

Rating: *** 1/2

Bengaluru rock trio No Neighbours Around aka NNA are back with their new single 'Apocalypse'. Guitarist-backing vocalist Vignesh Siva, vocalist-bassist Vishvesh Siva and drummer Vikas Gotla team up on his marvellous hard rock piece.

The black n' white animated video by Maya Santhanakrishnan goes perfectly with the song, filled with great guitars, basslines and power drumming. It is a dark song about toxic relationships. The words go, "In this apocalypse, won't you come kiss my lips, in this insanity, won't you come back with me."

The song ends with a fab interaction between the three instruments. It's perfect for a live setting, with all that energy coming together.




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