It’s the beginning of March and music is just getting better and better on both international and the local scene and today we are about narrow down some of the best releases of the first half of 2020 by the local musicians of India.
1. THE SOLUTION X-PLOSION, debut EP by Confuzone
There is an age old saying in India that the best oriental music comes from the Himalayan range but what if one band is supposed to mash it up with heavy metal? Well, Darjeeling based Metal band Confuzone did something like that on their EP The Solution X-Plosion that took us by surprise. As the band defines their genre is destructive natural explosive metal, their sound is a combination of both sheer brutality of extreme metal genres and Indian Oriental as well as classical music, toppled with lyrics about a failed government and failed education system in the country, the EP is surely going to question your morality.
2. STAY HERE, single by Lateral
Formed by the brother duo Siddharth and Abmitabh Borooah who is exquisitely known for their impressive work with the Rock band Lucid Recess, Lateral takes us more into a dreamy ride with their lounge music influenced Chill Electronic Rock and this was seen on their new song “Stay Here” which was layered with soulful blues riff by Siddharth and seductive saxophone arrangements by Amitabh underlined with sexy jazz licks and synth lines.
3. WE WILL RISE, single by Thunder’s Cave from their upcoming album
Coming out from the heart of Meghalaya, Thunder’s Cave is a heavy metal band that blends in the riff structure of bands like Bullet for My Valentine and Trivium with the punch of Avenged Sevenfold. The band’s song “we will rise” carries a strong message of Anti-drugs and urges the youth to find a purpose in life. Toppled with a massively impressive production value for a music video that raises the bar for a metal scene in India.
4. Dhulixona, Collaborative project between Abhi Xaikia and Ipshita Bharali.
When an established DJ from Assam mingles his soundscapes with the soulful voice of one of the most talented shoe-gaze singer in the region, it was sure to create a magic to the ears indeed. Abhi Xaikia and Ipshita Bharali’s collaborative effort on the song “Dhulixona” is impressive on so many level, if we are to look at the composition and lyrics that it will make most of us awestruck in our first listen. In the large array of cheesy Assamese songs dropped weekly into the YouTube suggestions, this is one such single that worth a listen.
5. Bixad, the sophomore effort by Anunnaki
It wouldn’t be wrong to say that Anunnaki is turning out to be one of the most promising bands in Assam in the recent time when they broke into the scene with their debut single “Owoni” in 2019, a massively strong song that was structured with Dream Theatre esque time signatures and Queensryche influenced vocal performance, one year later the band dropped their follow up single which seemed to be more into the realm of grunge giants like Alice In Chains and New wave of British Heavy Metal bands like Iron Maiden. Layered with impressive leads and solos, this particular song is not to be missed out.
6. You Think Our Future Is a Joke, a strong message by Rain in Sahara
Humanists, Activists and artist combined, Rain in Sahara is a one of a kind band from part Paris and part India who is promoting a new kind of movement against eco destruction and environmental crisis through artivism. The band’s first single with their new line up called “You Think our future is a joke” was done in collaboration with the activist groups around the world like Fridays for Future and The Extinction Rebellion and the outfit of socialists called The Robin Hood Army was accompanied with a music video that was shot inside an Indian Death Well aka Maut Ka Kuan for the first time by the band covers the subtle messages of deforestation, eco destruction, environment degradation, climate change, the recent tragedy in the amazons and how the US as well as the other country’s government is ignoring the importance to look into the matter ASAP.
Well, these were some the releases by the Indian artists that we enjoyed this first half of 2020, got some more to add? Feel free to drop in your comments.
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