‘The Merry Month of May’ witnessed a wave of intriguing music projects unleashed onto streaming platforms, turning heads and moving eyeballs in the music scene. In this list that traverses a mixed bag of genres, you’ll find a song that completes an artist’s triad of narratives, a folktronica duo’s first release on an international label, a blazing debut hip-hop single, and much more!
Jafa – ‘Parchment Skin’
Drenched in melancholy and gloomy sonics, singer-songwriter and producer Ananya Jafa, known by her stage name Jafa, unhooks her third release via Molfa Music – ‘Parchment Skin.’ The theme is darker yet constructs a graceful harmony, exhibiting Jafa’s evolution as a musician and prowess as a songwriter.
Completing a trilogy of music releases with this single, Jafa reintroduces you to personalities featured in her debut video, ‘Two Thousand Eighteen.’
“The song has unusual harmonies – more dissonant – used as soundscape… It is an attempt at storytelling, told from the perspective of someone who is violent and unstable,” said Jafa in a press statement. “It’s a weirder song.”
Mr. GnG – ‘Silence That Remains’
India and Paris-based duo Mr. GnG launched ‘Silence that Remains,’ the second single from their upcoming full-length album. Passionately crying out the lyrics “Everyone leaves, Everything ends I’m falling apart The feeling is gone, Where is my love?” on this number, Mr. GnG explores themes of being disillusioned and estranged and presents a downright hard-rock/progressive rock tune laced with maniacal bass and keyboard segments.
Lauded as a band known for their audio-visual experiences, the music video was filmed in an abandoned garage in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India, and marks the first appearance of the entire live band setup. Co-directed by Dev Mehta and Aanand Shukla, the video seamlessly shifts from a color shot to a red hue right as the music builds to its crescendo.
Tech Panda x Kenzani – ‘Kamli’
Folktronica duo Tech Panda x Kenzani mark their first international release with ‘Kamli,’ plotting with London-based label Aluku Records, known for championing African and Latin house music. On this track, the duo masterfully unleashes a stream of throbbing bass drops against a myriad of classical Indian folk beats, ambient textures, and lustrous Punjabi and French samples.
Speaking about the track Tech Panda and Kenzani share, “The emotion that we want to evoke most through our work is that of ‘nostalgia’ while honing our work with textures and vocals to create a rich and vibrant sound that is truly the best of both worlds, and we think we managed to achieve all that and more with ‘Kamli.’”
The pair was previously featured on Aluku Records World compilation mix in 2022, ‘Aluku Records Various Compilation World Edition.’
RANJ x CLIFR – ‘Ain’t Like Me’
Pop duo RANJ and CLIFR, whose music catalog harbors a delicious melange of hip-hop, house, electro-pop, soul, and rap, now adds the old-school R&B track ‘Ain’t Like Me’ to their ever-expanding music log. The song opens with an audio dialogue from ‘Gopura Vasalile’ (1991), an Indian, Tamil-language film, where the actress succumbs to sentiment and yells at a crowd, “Yes, I love this idiot, I love this lovable idiot!”
On ‘Ain’t Like Me,’ a nostalgic hip-hop meets R&B beat is nonchalantly laid down by CLIFR, while RANJ skillfully delivers glossy vocals. The composition is released in tandem with a captivating visualizer of both artists’ faces plastered into one image, stacked beside bronze and silver revolving discs.
Kim The Beloved x Seej – ‘Move’
Shillong and Aizawl-based multi-talented artist Zorinkima Chhunthang, aka Kim The Beloved, fires out his debut single ‘Move,’ on Azadi Records. Produced by music producer Seej, the rapper/breakdancer sculpts a rugged hip-hop tune reeking of rebellion and bravado, calling out cowardly folks, dubbing them “Certified W**s,” and reiterating “stop faking your stances… you out of chances.”
‘Move’ transitions quickly into a catchy rap beat after unwinding to symphonic string and key arrangments. With his intense rap verses, Kim The Beloved holds nothing back, offering us a sneak peek at what’s to come.
ZorroOZ, TheBoyWithDreams, Aman Alexander – ‘Aansu Mere’
When we last heard from singer-songwriter Rahul Philip Kerketta, aka TheBoyWithDreams, he had launched his maiden effort in ‘Khudse.’ Now the Ranchi-based musician returns with ‘Aansu Mere,’ a song about how artists use their work as a medium of self-expression and letting everything go, while also preserving it to look back on it one day.
Constructed by three friends – ZorroOZ (Sitanshu Pathak), Aman Alexander, and TheBoyWithDreams, the Hindi-worded tune is stitched together with a melancholy melody and an intense rap segment, molding a hooky Lo-Fi hip-hop piece.
“During the making of the song, we three shared the same vision: “to heal people with our music and to connect with their feelings,” says ZorroOZ. “I was randomly going through some lo-fi beats in March 2024, and there I found an amazing track with a great vibe. I shared the same beat with Rahul, aka TheBoyWithDreams, and we came to a conclusion to make this happen. The major challenge was production and mix mastering, which was solved by Aman Alexander with extra-mile support,” he added.
Talwiinder, Tech Panda & Kenzani, Mitika Kanwar – ‘Gal Kardi’
We conclude our round-up with yet another entry from electronica pair Tech Panda x Kenzani, this time cropping up on Punjabi pop artist Talwiinder’s new song ‘Gal Kardi,’ which also boasts classically trained singer Mitika Kanwar. The song is ladled with the sounds of rain and mellow key undertones, concocting a pop/chill-pop, Lo-Fi production.
Talwiinder ushers in sleek Punjab rap bars, while Kanwar’s classical vocal style neatly folds into the music. “Each track with Talwiinder is very special but this song really sparks nostalgic emotions, evoking a feeling of having lived in another era. The stunning Mitika Kanwar never ceases to surprise us as she lights up the song’s soul with her stunning vocals,” share Tech Panda and Kenzani about the single.
Check out all the latest releases here –
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