We have crossed the mid-year mark and from the astounding pitches that we get every month, we can only say that the Indian independent music scene is growing. We get to hear budding artists from all parts of the nation and here are the June picks for your playlist.
1. June – Sidharth Bendi
Written and composed by Sidharth Bendi, ‘June’ is a heart-warming tale of reminiscence as time ticks for the lovers. The song was co-produced by Sidharth himself and sudan. The sentient lyrics, the acoustic arrangement and Sidharth’s stirring vocals make this song a wistful monsoon melody.
2. Don’t Shut Your Eyes- Niranjan Menon
Niranjan Menon is a singer, songwriter, producer, and guitarist known for his ambient music. In ‘Don’t Shut Your Eyes’, the artist collabs with Project Hamsadhwani (aka Sarthak Ray) to convey a message of hope. The track is soulful composition on keeping faith and as the title of the song goes reminds the audience to look for that light at the end of the tunnel.
3. Love Nobody- Chirag Todi ft. Ramya Pothuri & RANJ
In this month’s Pop line-up, we have Ahmedabad-based songwriter Chirag Todi’s recent release ‘Love Nobody’. The artist collabs with Ramya Pothuri who delivers compelling vocals and RANJ for the rap verse. The song is a take on the bitter feelings one has after a breakup and concludes with the realisation that one has to show self-compassion to move ahead.
4. Dead All – Abhishek Roy, Prod. by Rakka
Abhishek Roy a rapper from Jamshedpur has a raspy voice and has his way with beats, rhythms and composition. His latest single ‘Dead All’ is a social commentary on rappers who only see hip-hop as their doorway to gaining recognition. The song was produced by Rakka and mixed and mastered by February 31st. In ‘Dead All’ Abhishek insists all rappers to find their own voice and create music with authenticity.
5. Always Meant To Be- Kapow!
‘Always Meant To Be’ is Kapow!’s fourth release featuring two artists Pratyaksh Sharma and Sana Arora. The song tells a story of long-distance love and its challenges. The track is an emotional alt-rock ballad that is meant to give a sense of hope to all lovers trying to find the balance between life and love. The music concludes with a realisation that their love was meant to stay and the lovers were always meant to be together.
6. Bann- Shayad
Mumbai-based music composer Bann Chakraborty comes along with a decade-long experience in the music business. His recent single ‘Shayad’ categorizes under the Indian pop segment and talks about the sheer impermanence of life. The track was mixed and mastered by Keshav Dhar. The song with its beautiful lyrics and electronic beats revolves around the idea of living the journey than the destination.
7. Maya- Alboe
New Delhi-based musician and singer-songwriter Vedant Chandra, also known as Alboe incorporates English pop into Indian classical sounds. ‘Maya’ is the artist’s first attempt at Indian deep house electronica and the track is out on all streaming platforms. ‘Maya’ as the title suggests is hypnotic with classical instruments and stellar production. The song in its elements is a simple need to connect with the cosmic energy around us.
8. Aabad- Shashwat Bulusu
Baroda-based singer-songwriter, producer and visual artist Shashwat Bulusu releases his debut Hindi single ‘Aabad’. As a songwriter, Shashwat feels writing a song in Hindi brings out a lot of transparency as opposed to writing in English. ‘Aabad’ came to Shahswat out of spree one night before sleeping and the song is a reminder of the unfettered hope we all carry inside us.
9. Running Solo- Skinypop
Abhinav Sharma, also known by his stage name Skinypop is a budding singer/songwriter from Sikkim. His songs cover a diverse range of human emotions from the most mundane to the absolute abstract ideas. In his recent release ‘Running Solo’, Abhinav showcases his prominent vocals accompanied by a mind-blowing guitar riff and great composition.
10. You- Asterea
Asterea is a duo comprising Navya Karnani and Anchal Jagwani. They both specialise in Indian classical and find inspiration from the likes of Pink Floyd, Nirvana and The Beetles. Being intrigued by the deeper and darker side of life, Asterea released their very first original track ‘You’, which is a dialogue between one’s good side and one’s shadow. The song has an alarming melody and the lyrics ascertain a crucial message that at the end of the day the power lies in ‘You’.
11. Akhil Sahni – Dream
Delhi-based singer/songwriter Akhil Sahni succeeds at giving the listeners a unique experience through his music. His third single ‘Dream’ is about being lost in one’s imagination with a loved one. The beautiful possibilities in the dreamlike solace transpire throughout the song. The track with its mellifluous piano riff and soothing vocals is a treat to the ears and the soul. The song ends with an excerpt from a speech by Hans Zimmer and endorses all our rights as dreamers.
12. Dreaming- Archit Anand
Gurgaon-based neo-classical pianist/composer Archit Anand releases his next single ‘Dreaming’. The song is a solo piano instrumental which was performed by Archit himself and mixed and mastered by Ananda Dhar-James. The song was produced knowing the subtle nature of Dreams and its power to teleport us across timelines. The calming piano notes along with synth effects and skilful composing encapsulate the purpose of dreams and what it feels like to be simply dreaming.
13. Waade- Nsmusicgram
Tripura-based artist duo Samuel Debbarma and Nilanjan, together known as Nsmusicgram release their fourth single ‘Waade’. The melody of this alt-rock song was composed in 2020 by Samuel and the lyrics were developed over time by Nilanjan. The song is about unrealised aspirations waiting to be fulfilled. The track with its metal mix and heavy sounds gives listeners an emotive ride and elevates their inhibitions.
14. Dry Leaves- SIHIE
SIHIE also known as B Sonakshi Rao, is a Delhi-based talented singer who began her musical journey at the age of five. SIHIE currently writes pop songs but she doesn’t limit herself to a specific genre. Her recent release ‘Dry Leaves’ is a journey of an extremely empowered woman who knows her self-worth. The dark theme of the song comprises various orchestral elements, trap drums and vocal samples. The powerful chorus and the vocalist’s range portray the character’s inner world in a broader and more detailed sense.
15. Nadan Dil – Aanchal Shrivastava & Vidhya Gopal
‘Nadan Dil’ finds its origin on a flight to Bangalore two years ago. Aanchal Shrivastava who wrote this song later met Vidhya who was immediately hooked to the innocence of ‘Nadan Dil’ and the two co-sung the track. The song is expressed from the point of view of two girl lovers who find it difficult to say it all. We get to hear pure vocals backed with sincere acoustics and the song in its simplicity has a lot of promise from the two BFFs as emerging artists.
