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This article introduces the October 2025 edition of Homegrown Handpicked, a monthly playlist spotlighting the freshest releases from across India. This month features Reble, Parimal Shais, shauharty, Adil, keichyna, ARSLAN, pakeezah, Gunda, Varun Nimbolkar, Unkill ji, Sourya Sen, Prissha, Pancham, Suraj Iyer, Shivangi Kale, Nirmit, Lothika, Harasis Wadhwa, Gaurav Kapoor, Dakshita, RANJ, Clifr, and Dhanji.
This is the month we found out that beloved cop Hopper from 'Stranger Things' is into buttplugs, thanks to Lily Allen's explosive return to the scene with her album, 'West End Girl'. In this incisive and artistic post-mortem of her marriage to actor David Harbour, she spares no detail: from the open marriage, and the 'Pussy Palace' apartment in the West Village to 'Madeline', the other woman and vasectomies. Lily takes the kind of gossip that usually humiliates women and flips it into capital with this release, which is to be followed by an upcoming tour.
Out of all the experiences, musings and emotions that turn into songs, watching Lily turn a thing of shame into this body of work has been almost cathartic. The need to make meaning from mess and make it lot of fun in the process drives a big part of the Homegrown musical landscape as well. It's often about telling their truth in the most colourful ways possible. Here are our favourites from this past month:
In her latest single, Meghalaya-born rapper Reble channels her frustrations with the industry into a pushback and affirmation of her ability as an artist. With its dense trap drums, jagged guitar, and a low bassline alongside sharp verses, the track turns rage into power. Reble has built a reputation for cutting through expectations and labels with clear intent, and 'New Riot', produced by Parimal Shais and released under Atlantic Records and Homegrown Music, feels like a continuation of that resolve.
'Penis Flytrap' is one of the most striking moments on Farookh, a mixtape that the Delhi-based alternative hip-hop artist dropped recently. It's sharp in thought but effortlessly smooth. Built on a chill, beach-like groove, the track leans into a languid R&B rhythm that glides on soft guitar loops and an easy, almost lazy swing. On the track, shauharty flips the metaphor of the Venus flytrap into a biting critique of ego, lust, and the absurd theatre of masculinity. 'Penis Flytrap' is seductive, satirical, and self-aware, all at once.
Gunda's latest track is a tender yet kinetic ode to the dizzying high of first love. Opening with Unkill Ji’s cinematic guitar riff, tinged with the warmth of an old Western, and Varun Nimbolkar’s sparkling sitar, the track builds into a hypnotic, club groove. The production moves fluidly between qawali-inspired emotion and house-driven release, a balance that defines Tanmay Saxena’s evolving sonic identity under the 'Gunda' moniker.
Sourya Sen’s new EP, 'Elastic', imagines impermanence and the strange elasticity of memory, through that sound becomes a fluid architecture of time. Across five tracks, Sourya, a Mumbai-based media artist, creative technologist, and researcher with a Master’s in New Media Design from Aalto University, bridges experimental music, audiovisual design, and algorithmic systems to create works that bend and stretch like half-remembered dreams. Elastic drifts through fragile melodies and immersive textures. This is no more apparent then on the stand-out single 'Crashing (Like Waves)'. An electric symphony of sharp synths that paint vast ambient landscapes, the track pulsates with a sonic ebb and flow that captures the turbulence of being alive.
'Dairy Don' by Pancham, Prissha, and Suraj Iyer is a mellow ode to young love that's sweet, and comforting but also fleeting, much like the ice cream chain it’s named after. The trio, Mumbai-based vocalist, songwriter, and producer, draw from their roots in Hip-Hop, R&B, Dancehall, and Indie to craft an effortlessly fresh sound. Warm vocals and understated beats with a late-night groove make up the bulk of the track. Lyrically, it lingers on the moments of connection; the stolen glances and shared silences that define a fresh-brewed romance.
Varun Nimbolkar’s new EP 'Bah Bah Black Sheep' is built around the idea of storytelling through sound, blending Indian classical influences with electronic and hip-hop sensibilities. The track 'Amrita 2.0' reimagines an earlier release 'Amrita', and brings together psy-trance rhythms, Indian classical phrasing, and operatic vocals by Shivangi Kale into a layered composition. It captures the EP’s core idea: treating sound as a narrative where electronic and classical elements coexist.
'Jaane Kahaan' by Nirmit and Lothika is a contemplative track that explores grief and loss. The song traces the emotional arc that follows a profound absence; moving through denial, confusion, anger, and eventual resignation, while searching for meaning in the aftermath. Musically, it balances a cinematic score with the grit of electronic alt-rock. The music video extends this exploration into a visual dreamscape, following a young woman adrift in a space between life and the afterlife.
'Purgatory' by Harasis Wadhwa is an instrumental progressive metal track that captures both the resignation of youth and the emotional depth of reflection. At just 17, the New Delhi–based guitarist, composer, and producer has developed a sound fusing orchestral and ambient textures with the heaviness of metal. Purgatory jumps from moments of melodic serenity to bursts of layered distortion embodying the uncertainty of growing up. The track is also deeply personal and a tribute to his first high-school band with the same name, marking a full-circle moment in his creative path.
If you enjoyed reading this here's more from Homegrown:
'Jhoom' is the latest single by independent vocalist and songwriter Dakshita, created in collaboration with Delhi-based producer and artist Gaurav Kapoor, that unfolds like a slow groove in a dimly lit bar with the glasses half-empty. It has a sultry, hypnotic rhythm of jazz that is channelled through an R&B-like structure. Built on lush harmonies, smooth basslines, and Dakshita’s textured vocals, Jhoom captures that moment when you stop trying to hold yourself together and just give in to the music.
The latest track by RANJ and CLIFR featuring Dhanji is a bold, tongue-in-cheek, chemistry-driven boom bap single with an outrageous title. Produced by CLIFR, the song rides on smooth keys, groovy basslines, and crisp live-feel drums, creating a sensual and playful soundscape. RANJ leads with her signature Erykah Badu-like poise, flipping traditional power dynamics with humour and authority, while Dhanji steps in with sharp wit turning their exchange into a flirtatious verbal spar. The music video translates that visually through it svibrant, cheeky, and self-assured sensuality.
