To say September 2024 was crammed with music-related news and updates would be an understatement. Amongst the many unveilings of multiple festival line-ups and immense ticketing frenzies, a plethora of stellar music releases also transpired.
Supplementing our music coverage, here is a list of September’s music releases and artists you should keep an eye out for. Our selections span music pitched to filmmakers, themes about positivity, songs revolting against the powers that be, an instrumental piece about taking chances, and more!
Sharmila & Bluedoor – ‘Congress Bun’
Bengaluru-based songwriter-producer Mayank Singh, who releases music under the moniker Bluedoor, and vocalist Sharmila Joshi together cook up a fantastic tribute to the city of Bengaluru in ‘Congress Bun,’ coined after one of the city’s famous snack items. This project was composed and mastered for India Film Project’s 50-hour music challenge in 2023.
Commencing with a sound byte of an announcement of Yeswanthpur station in Kannada (now Yashavantapura), meshed in with incessant honking in heavy traffic, Carnatic vocals bellow and somber key segments ensue. Sharmila Joshi’s clean and crisp voice carries each lyric passionately, arranged with Mayank’s nifty string work on the guitar and esraj to concoct a splashy multi-lingual indie-fusion/electro-pop tune.
Space Salt – ‘Khafa’
Space Salt, consisting of musicians Shravan Sajjan (vocals, guitar) and Atul Arora (drums), haul out their latest release ‘Khafa.’ It is a song that explores an essence trapped in a circle of indulgence feeling displeased or ‘Khafa,’ probing at a conflict between brief physical satisfaction and a pursuit for spiritual fulfillment.
Glossed throughout with menacing bass lines that open the track, the melody pumps in a hip-hop beat smudged over electro-string arrangments. The tempo rapidly rises owing to thumping drum action and roaring guitars producing a raging hard-rock/rap ballad, tied together with heartfelt lyrics in Hindi.
Visual artist Yashika Kalra crafted the artwork, illustrating only a smear of color over the face area of a female figure. The rest is left in a gloomy blue hue to showcase a portrait left incomplete, calling to distractions and disgruntled notions captured in ‘Khafa.’
Friends from Moon – ‘Castaway’
Friends from Moon, the solo project of musician and composer Ritwik Shivam, steamrolls in ‘Castaway,’ his new single influenced by a cyberpunk and dystopian aesthetic. The songwriter disclosed, “It’s based in a futuristic world with a combination of low life and high tech where the protagonist is in a state of rebellion.”
Charged by firey vocals from Pranay Gupta, his first time lending his voice to a composition, Ritwik frames a rabid metal/gent piece smeared with roaring guitars, virulent techno rhythms, pounding drums, and heavy synth patterns. “‘Castaway’ unfolds from a state of despondence and despair to a state of an uprising against a tyrannical organization which has complete control over the people and society,” the artist further revealed.
‘Castaway’ serves as a prelude to Friends from Moon’s forthcoming three-track EP ‘The End.’
Osi Gomango – ‘Only You’
Composer/arranger and seasoned bass player Osi Gomango lifts the lid off his original works, dropping the first of hopefully many more music releases to follow with his debut single ‘Only You.’ For this project, Osi is flanked by a starry crew of collaborators that includes Tony Das, Sumith Ramachandran, Leslie Charles, Liben Toms, Daniel Selvaraj, and Nina, to list a few.
On this track, the artist neatly combs in influences of diverse music genres he wrapped himself in while growing up and deliciously crafts a loopy-worthy feel-good funk/pop-rock ballad. Stretching nearly six minutes, Osi pounds on a grandiose opening, folding in plucky bass movement, flashy segments on the keys, bluesy guitar riffs, and steady drum action—all caressed by each singer’s vocal flair.
Speaking about this single, Osi Gomango conveyed, “‘Only You’ is a song in which I’m writing about myself, the choices I made over the years, and the options I had at the time. I was infatuated with the art of music and the little details in a song that caught my attention, went a long way in defining my style of songwriting.”
The Cheeseball Giant – ‘Kraken’
One of the standout names in the indie music scene synonymous with crashing cymbals and rapid drum routines is Mumbai-based multi-instrumentalist Joshua D’Souza, best known as The Cheeseball Giant. Joshua’s newest instrumental musical jaunt, ‘Kraken,’ detonates a high-energy sound right from the get-go. According to Joshua, “‘Kraken’ embodies the spirit of embracing risks and stepping outside the norm to foster personal growth.”
Winged by Vedant Thakur on guitars and Akhil Sindhwani on bass, The Cheeseball Giant tosses out a hard-rock/prog-rock score rifled with hard-hitting percussive marks, melodic-yet-eerie synth prints, and virulent electric guitars. Via press release, the composer further elaborated, “I was at a point where I was told what to play, when to play, and how. I was encouraged to choose safe options, but I grew tired of that. The thrill of the unknown can only be achieved by taking risks.”
Ramil Ganjoo – ‘Fursat’
Mumbai-based singer/composer Ramil Ganjoo delivers an ode to the brief moments of serenity encountered in the city’s chaotic and fast-paced lifestyle on their new Hindi-worded single ‘Fursat,’ a term used to denote ‘leisure’ or ‘free time.’ Wielded together at Ramil’s home studio setup, this indie composition ties in sounds one would hear around Mumbai city (vehicles honking, invalid numbers dialed tone) while crooning evocative lyrics over melancholy production.
“I’m proud of everything I’ve created so far, but there’s something about this track that feels like a step forward,” shared Ramil Ganjoo in a press release. “It’s a reminder to hold on to your sense of self, even when the world around you seems to be moving too fast.”
Remee & Moosa Saleem – ‘Khoyi Si’
Coursing through with a message of “turning life’s darkest moments into sources of strength,” comes a jubilant song from Thai-Indian singer Remee and Kashmiri music composer Moosa Saleem. A happenstance meeting led to this collaborative endeavor, which Remee describes as “a very relatable life story, inspired by my own experiences and triumph and resilience.”
Held by Remee’s stunning vocal range, singing in Hindi and English, the duo puff out an optimistic mood-swirling single. “This song is about living in a world that often feels confining, but finding liberation through letting go of what no longer serves you,” communicated Remee via a press statement. “It’s about the freedom that comes from losing what’s not meant for you, creating space for joy and fulfillment.”
Ishaan Nigam – ‘Jogiya’
Mumbai-based versatile singer/composer Ishaan Nigam staples yet another undertaking with regular fixture Brite Roy in ‘Jogiya,’ an indie pop single tracking the notion of a lone traveler who expresses a longing to encounter his companion while conversing with himself. Carried by Ishaan’s flowing vocals, the melody dings in segments from classical stringed instruments such as the Sarod and Sarangi and is also peppered with sargam and alaap segments.
The road to ‘Jogiya’ goes back almost three years, even making the shortlist for All About Music 2022’s “Pitch to Filmmakers.”
KIMKID – Is This Freedom?
On the heels of contributing to singles ‘Haiwan’ and ‘Illusion Delusion,’ New Delhi-based artist Arjun Mukherjee, who hauls out music under the alias KIMKID, carves yet another of his staunch views with his new single ‘Is This Freedom?’ An indie ballad, the heavy-themed lyrics provide a stark contrast to the easy-going melody, woven with strummy acoustic guitar, tambourine jingles, stable drum beats, hooky bass tugs, and a bluesy guitar solo.
KIMKID stated via email, “The song is an anti-fascist statement by an artist who is trying to decipher the contours of freedom in a modern world.” The song is co-produced by DeepC and its music video, which speaks to the trends of the media and current society, was developed by sketch artist Archisman.
Listen to all of these songs and more on TFword’s official playlist –
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