Homegrown loves bringing to you emerging artists and those who have established a niche in alternate genres hidden from the mainstream. Keeping things super fresh, we’ve curated a list of releases we could not get enough of and that we know will earworm themselves to your heart as well.
Scroll down for your dose of the latest releases from the month of May.
I. Favourite Peeps by Prateek Kuhad
In the past few years, Kuhad has emerged as the undisputed king of heartbreak and love music in the indie music scene. His latest single, ‘Favourite Peeps’ is an exploration in that same vein but takes a look at platonic love and friendships. While talking about the music video, Kuhad said on his Instagram, “We’ve all been there, when things don’t feel great, and even your closest people are sometimes not able to pull you out of a funk. But It is in such moments where you truly realize the value of your loved ones, and that you need to come through for them as well.”
II. Frequency by Girls On Canvas
Mumbai-based guitarist and producer Randolph Correia is best known for his work as part of prominent indie acts like Pentagram and Shaa’ir + Func. He also doubles down for his solo act as FUNC and now his audio-visual moniker Girls On Canvas which he debuted back in 2019. For his latest release Frequency under his Girls On Canvas moniker, he has released a 10-track album that is filled with ambient layers and the energy of bass which are all packed together in a contemporary frame along with the added influences of EDM and glitch.
You can check out the release here.
III. Hello Cheater by Arrows ft The Lightyears Explode
Mumbai-based independent music project Arrows, the brainchild of musician and music journalist David Britto, released its fourth single ‘Hello Cheater’ in collaboration with Mumbai-based punk-rock-pop band The Lightyears Explode. Sharing more about this release, David Britto said, “I wrote ‘Hello Cheater’ after being put in an uncomfortable situation by a person I cared for. Although it’s taken years to heal the scars, this song was a way to cope with it and come out on the other side stronger than before.”
The in-your-face garage rock song is written from the perspective of one’s conscience addressing them after committing to an affair away from their significant other. With a fiery guitar riff, plenty of grit and The Lightyears Explode’s power-packed sound as well as steely vocals, it makes for a fierce and punchy track. A music video that captures the essence of the song is also out now.
IV. Moonbrain by Shikhar
Bhopal-Delhi based 23-year-old singer-songwriter Shikhar debuts with his pop-rock single ‘Moonbrain’ which is about a lifetime of feeling alienated towards every place you’ve been and called ‘home’ but where you instead felt like a total stranger and wanted to make sense of it all. Trying to answer the giant question of ‘Does it ever get better?’ and ‘Does one ever fit in?’ the indie single is as vulnerable and raw as it gets. The arrangement comes alive with a pristine pop-rock sensibility of lush guitar work and an up-tempo and energizing drum beat.
Check out the debut single here.
V. Sleepyhead by Parekh & Singh
Parekh & Singh can perhaps be considered one of India’s biggest indie acts, with their groovy tones, electronic tunes, and introspective lyrics set to vibrant, monotone colour scheme videos, they have been able to establish a niche for themselves. Their latest single stays true to their signature style.
When releasing the lyric video on Youtube, Nischay described the inspiration behind the song saying,“Laziness and reticence have been constant companions, sometimes to our detriment, but usually to our artistic advantage. The inevitable friction that is created between poetry and commerce, dreams and deadlines, is the subject of this song.”
Adding to this Jivraj said, “To me, this song gently suggests that rational linear causality is not the only model for approaching the opportunities and challenges of life. It is just one of the many conceptual and practical frameworks that are available. Love, loyalty, courage, poetry, dream logic, synchronicity, magic, faith, intuition and the manifold forces of nature, have all been around for much longer, and will probably outlive many of the more narrow-minded, albeit powerful, mechanics of our current age.”
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