Week on Week: The VICE India Mixtape

Attempting to keep up with new releases is exhausting. And the never-ending quest to discover an act before they hit >1000 plays on Bandcamp is all but rewarding. Having given up full time music writing a little while ago, more often than not I find myself feeling a mix of FOMO and IDGAF about new, local music while compiling my Spotify playlists. With this feature, we (that is, I) aim to put together a weekly mixtape—without being judgemental assholes.

For this week’s edition, I’ve put together a mix of songs from the exciting, confusing, terribly inspiring side-projects of musicians better known for their primary projects, or as a part of a band that is bigger than the sum of its parts. Some of these projects have gone on to become the primary projects for these musicians, like in the case of Raxit Tewari/Your Chin of the now-defunct Sky Rabbit. Tbf, I could’ve just gotten an entire seven-song playlist from the side projects of Peter Cat Recording Co., but I’ll leave that for another time.

Dhruv Bhola is an affable, warm and joyous character—equal parts jokes and seriousness. While he handles bass duties for some excellent, and personal favourite, projects in the Indian indie landscape, it was truly exhilarating to see him drop solo material. Be it holding fort during Peter Cat Recording Co.’s whirlwind shows, or the melodic mush-fest of a Prateek Kuhad show, or the low-endedness of Run It’s The Kid, Bhola knows what’s up. His solo release, "Jaded", under the moniker bowls, is an exploration, at best, of his varied songwriting processes with different bands, but definitely offers a peek into his musical brain. While this has me excited, I can’t wait for more material from the dude in the future.

Few voices in Indian indie are as distinguishable as Raxit Tewari's. Whether in the early, antsy days of Medusa, or the cerebral calm and samplings of Sky Rabbit or in the solid-kick-drum, pop-tinted sway of Your Chin, this voice just gets me. While it took Tewari a while to wander around and find his feet in this project, the makings seem to have existed right from the start. While the lyrical content is best left to either stoned interpretations or not questioned at all, Your Chin makes music for an early morning or a party that’s winding down, simultaneously. And while we’re at it, why don’t you check out my favourite Sky Rabbit song too?

Not even sure why I’m considering the work of Menon to be a solo/side project, but maybe the dysfunctionality of their erstwhile band Machli made it so. His debut album Lovesongs is a haunting, beautiful collection of songs that explores what a combination of his brain, art practice and Palakkad in Kerala would sound like. I’ve heard this album on bus rides, on boring office days and perhaps the most anxiety-ridden nights—only to always either find calm, a bounce in my step, or a bob of my head. "Morning Rituals" is my pick, and perhaps only so because of the intricate, hooky and unmistakable melody.

killpop is the noise project of Harshan Radhakrishnan and Vikram Yesudas, who played together in Chennai-based quintet The F16s, before Yesudas parted ways with the band. It’s hard to not mention this because so much of this project’s sound can be traced back to the more recent, explosive and confident live shows of the alt-rockers, who put out an impressive debut in 2016. I’d imagine the song to fit right into one of the many enigmatic sequences of Netflix’s new comedy-drama series Russian Doll, starring Natasha Lyonne. The drone-y soundscapes, matched with New Wave/krautrock, make for interesting songwriting from the duo, and will perhaps translate to more than just head bobs. Exciting times down in Chennai, with more side projects emerging from within The F16s; more soon.

Shantanu Pandit, to me, is one of those rare singer-songwriters I remember watching years ago at Live From The Console (#youremember?) at Mehboob Studios and having a good time. Other times, the reaction to one’s feelings coupled with an acoustic guitar/ukulele/guitalele is a cue for a break in the evening’s gig, more often than not. It can’t be just me. Either way, Pandit’s sonic explorations with Morning Mourning aren’t a far steer from his previous projects, but have a sense of comfort in the lo-fi aesthetic they bring along. Personally, this record was amongst one of my favourite homegrown releases last year.

I’m not sure what sticks out the most for me in this Delhi supergroup of some kind. Is it Sajid Akbar’s balmy, warm vocals that feel like a warm hug on a winter morning? Or is it the songwriting chops tinged with a delicate pop sensibility? Or even the careful, intricate beats from Akshat Nauriyal? Coming together with Abhishek Mathur, the trio intertwine their former lives together, having played in some seminal Indian indie groups, for a 2018 version of their brainscape. The entire EP is a breezy listen, but "Furball" which is the opener does its job of sucking you in, and holding you through the 20-something-minute runtime. Worthy recco for fans of synthwave, electro-ambient and just good ol’ rock and roll.

Not entirely sure this can be classified a side project, but Hammarsing Kharhmar is a man of many talents. First with Mon Khmer, then with Albert Hammond Jr., and most recently with Ñion (stream their debut here), Kharhmar has been around Boston, NYC and returned to his hometown of Shillong. With Exhibition, the project that gained him the popularity thanks to the involvement of Cult Records/Julian Casablancas, the axeman presented a crafty record, tipping a hat to the sounds of NYC without ever pandering to his influences. My favourite song off the record is the closing "Happy Feet"—one that I keep revisiting every couple of weeks to figure what draws me back to it. I’m still looking for the answer, but perhaps it lies in the silences between Kharhmar’s vocals and guitar lines.

This took me a while to put together, and there are so many more side (or now mainstay) projects from Indian indie groups to recommend. Some of them include Plastic Parvati, Disco Puppet, LIFAFA, Jamblu, Begum, Deepak, BEEBAY, National Animal, Park Circus, the many avatars of Brij Dalvi, No Honey… pfft, I could go on. Be sure to check them all out!

Check out our previous editions here.