The F16s came out of Chennai’s college gig circuit in 2012, when the city’s independent music scene was still pretty small, and quickly became one of the bands to watch after winning competitions, playing festivals like Hornbill and Magnetic Fields, and building a sound that mixed indie rock with synths and electronic music.
Their 2016 debut 'Triggerpunkte' was a big step for them because it moved away from the Arctic Monkeys-style influence of their early EPs and gave the band a more recognisable sound of its own; a few years later, 'WKND FRNDS' and the 2021 EP 'Is It Time to Eat the Rich Yet?' pushed further into synth-pop, psychedelia, danceable rhythms and dark humour. The four members then spent time on their own projects and were away from the Chennai live circuit for two years, before returning home in 2025 with new music.
Now, after a decade between full-length albums, they are back with 'All Dogs Go To Heaven', made after the band spent a month together in Ooty in 2023, stripped away some of their old perfectionism and started making music together in the same room again. Alongside the first track from their upcoming album, here are our favourite releases from last month:
Ten years after their debut 'Triggerpunkte', Chennai’s The F16s are gearing up to release their sophomore album 'All Dogs Go To Heaven', a record that was birthed in voluntary isolation in the hills of Ooty where the band went to reconnect, step away from the noise and loosen their perfectionist tendencies, letting instinct and personal growth guide the music. The first taste of the album, 'Mt. Whateverest', takes aim at the endless ladder of success, where every achievement comes with another summit to chase, along with the hype, celebrity worship and emptiness that can come with it. As the band puts it, the song asks what exactly we’re reaching for when the goalposts keep moving.
Sijya’s upcoming rework EP, 'Leather & Brass [Retrofitted]', hands songs from her 2025 EP over to artists and producers she admires, letting them pull the material into their own worlds. On Rachika Nayar’s rework of 'Do I Know', that process brought out a tenderness and intimacy Sijya hadn’t foregrounded in her original version, which she had imagined on a much larger, more expansive scale. It also made her think about how far a song can travel once someone else gets their hands on it. “The writing can be interpreted in so many ways. It can go in wildly different directions. That’s quite a beautiful thing,” she says.
In the electronica circuit, DJ and producer Pawas Gupta has spent decades building a sound around deep house, techno and minimal, drawing from his classical training in tabla and percussion and his long-standing influence from Detroit. After starting out as a DJ in India, Pawas moved to Germany and became part of its electronic music scene, releasing music on labels including Spectral Sound, Flash Recordings and Night Drive Music. His new EP 'Fire & Eyes', made with Dhaara and Sitara, pairs his sound with sultry Indian vocals, especially in ‘Naina’. The track leans into the deeper, more intricate side of house music, with its immersive instrumental and acid-like rhythms.
Kerala hip-hop artist STIC, aka Vimal, gets into the story of becoming an artist on 'Engane Thudangum?', which translates to 'How Do You Start'. Coming from a small village in Kerala, STIC grew up in a family that had very little, with his mother holding the household together through years of financial struggle after his father’s death. The track, produced by daszi dives into into his origin story, moving through his childhood, the people around him and the point where Vimal starts becoming STIC. The video for the track was filmed at his actual home with his mother and brother, following him through the spaces and people that shaped his life before ending with the person he has grown into as an artist. His writing also draws on biblical imagery and the kind of grounded, autobiographical storytelling that has shaped his work in Kerala’s underground hip-hop scene.
New Delhi alternative rock band Salt Rock came together through Delhi University’s music circuit, drawing from alternative, blues, Hindustani classical, jazz, progressive rock and metal. Over the years, they’ve built a reputation as a strong live act, playing festivals like Independence Rock, Oddball Festival and Hornbill and sharing stages with bands including Bloodywood, Leprous and Tigran Hamasyan. Their new single ‘Stay’, the first track from their upcoming debut album, is about staying present, embracing the moment and not getting so caught up in memories that you lose sight of yourself. The track also came together in just two days, making it the quickest song the band has written.
Shriya Rao’s new four-track EP 'The Other Girl' takes its name from the feeling of being the ‘other girl’ in someone else’s story, and eventually turns that narrative around. Across the project, she gets into attraction, mixed signals, heartbreak and the point where choosing yourself can become its own kind of closure. Written entirely by Shriya, the EP brings together her love for R&B, pop, dance and fashion as she builds a more personal and assured sound around her music. The project opens with 'Resist It', a flirtatious song about irresistible chemistry, and being drawn towards someone even when you know the situation is complicated.
Tamil-Swiss singer-songwriter Priya Ragu returns with 'FINALLY', the first glimpse of her upcoming album 'Madras'. The song is about finally finding a love that feels exciting, mutual and completely worth the search, with Ragu throwing English, Tamil and Spanish into the lyrics as she goes from “I finally found you” to imagining a love that survives even after the two people are gone. There’s a cheeky confidence to the writing too, especially in the way she turns that rush of finding someone into something almost absurdly big, raiding a million stars just to get closer. Underneath all of it is a very Indian dholak-like beat takes on a new life alongside Ragu’s R&B and South Asian influences.
Mumbai-based singer-songwriter Tejas, whose music draws from indie, pop and rock, gets into anger, ego and the ugly business of holding your ground on 'Ribcage'. The song has a confrontational streak, with its narrator pushing back against people trying to get under his skin while also questioning the pride and resentment keeping everyone locked in the same cycle. By the end, it starts looking at the distance between all the hate that has been built up and the love that got lost somewhere along the way. “It’s a heavier turn for me and a song about anger, and about finding a way to graduate it into peace,” says Tejas.
Pune-based rock band The DANGERMEN return with their third single, 'Bloom', a song that looks at both the possibilities and hopelessness of love. It gets into that uncomfortable point where affection can make you hopeful while also leaving you questioning yourself and everything that could go wrong. The band takes those conflicting feelings into a bigger, more atmospheric rock arrangement, letting the guitars, drums and bass build a sense of movement around its more vulnerable subject matter. “Bloom” also marks a new direction for DANGERMEN as they stretch their sound beyond the rawness of their earlier work without losing its rock foundation.
Kavya Ajit gives a 19th-century Carnatic composition a funky new life with 'Southside Funk – Dhanasree Thillana', her contemporary take on the Dhanasree raga composition by Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma. Kavya had performed the song at her Carnatic concerts back in the day and always felt there was a fun, youthful side to it that could come alive through a more alternative treatment. The track is her way of introducing Carnatic music to a new generation in a language they can connect with, while bringing together the different sides of her own musical identity. “I am at a phase where I am completely embracing my roots while adapting to the modern times,” she says. The music is arranged and produced by Vaishakh Jyothis and Akhil Issac, with the video taking the song through the streets of Fort Kochi and Mattancherry.
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