Mumbai-based musician Hardik Bansode, who goes by Charitrh, has just released his fourth single ‘Reverie,’ a whirlwind of rock, hard-rock, grunge, and winks of blues-rock.
After flailing out singles ‘Wild Wild Sunshine‘ (2023) and ‘Around The Clock‘ (2024), Charitrh has dropped his second composition of the year in ‘Reverie,’ a song about how fear keeps you from communicating your emotions to a loved one.
Charitrh brings into play his musical influences of Guns N’ Roses, Nirvana, Pink Floyd, Green Day, etc., and deliciously serves up an old-fashioned five-minute hard-rock ballad. From start to finish, ‘Reverie’ is laced with nifty fretwork on the guitars and reverberating drum patterns. Bluesy guitar chords open the song as the music meticulously rises in tempo and ultimately explodes with fierce electric guitar riffs and Charitrh passionately echoing, “I’m waiting for her in reverie.”
According to the artist, “‘Reverie’ illustrates how fear prevents you from expressing your feelings to your loved one. How insane one’s thoughts may get when they fall in love with someone they know won’t work.”
In an in-depth exchange with us, Hardik took us through the bare bones of his new single, venturing as a solo act, and what lured him toward rock and roll in the first place.
Talking about the new single, he stated, “‘Reverie’ began with a one-note blues riff on the guitar. I kept playing the same riff for days and slowly began to spice up the riff and structure as the song required. Always making an effort to create something that will hook the audience by allowing myself to play with the notes, chords, and structure as I wish.” It took a total of three weeks and eight mixing sessions for the artist and sound engineer Ashay Raut to reach the output they desired.
Hardik plucked the song’s artwork from a photograph of his friend seated on a boat and tweaked it with a few artistic exploits courtesy of designer Ranveer Gandhi. He shared, “I was so impressed that I immediately requested to use it as the cover for my album. I talked with my friend Ranveer, an illustrator, about including flower fields in the concept in order to achieve the song’s dream-like, imaginary meaning. We settled on artwork that perfectly captured the song’s mood.”
When it comes to Hardik’s onstage alias, he mentions, “I’ve always loved creating something that could become a part of people’s daily lives, whether it’s an idea, a personality, a brand, or a legacy.” After many unsuccessful attempts to form a band, Hardik decided to perform as a solo artist. “I also ran out of band names. For a long time, I thought about going by my own name. However, influenced by my ideas and feeling that my basic name wasn’t unique enough due to others using similar names, I decided to change it.”
Performing solo also brings its own set of perks and challenges, with the singer describing handling every aspect independently as “a whole new experience.” He shared, “While having creative control over everything from writing to production and promotion is empowering, working with different people can really take your song to different heights. It brings creative tensions, disagreements, and compromises, but the results you achieve together are genuinely special.”
“Green Day inspired me to start my own band in school, and I spent my 9th and 10th grade performing and imitating them. Guns N’ Roses represented the pinnacle of rock music for me, especially after seeing Slash ft. Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators in Mumbai,” said the songwriter.
Explaining ‘Charitrh,’ he explained, “As I grew up, I realized that I had many different sides to my personality. I struggled to be myself, often changing to fit the environment I was in. This realization made me adopt the name ‘Charitrh’ which sounds unique, raw, and gritty for a rock n’ roll artist.”
Bansode credits his elder cousin, who flushed him toward rock music during a vacation after catching sight of a cardboard guitar. “He noticed the electric guitar I had made from cardboard cutouts, which I pretended to play in front of a big crowd. Proudly, he took me to show me all his treasures and played rock music for me, starting with Bon Jovi and Nirvana and ending with Cradle of Filth and Eluveitie,” shared Hardik. “I was blown away by this world I could never have explored alone. For me, it wasn’t just an ordinary listening session, it was a complete shift in my personality, perspective, and opinions.”
After this game-changing experience, Hardik would visit cybercafes and look up rock music recommendations, which drove him to the likes of Guns N’ Roses and Green Day. Years into drenching himself in the music of A.R. Rahman, Bob Dylan, and Pink Floyd and battling heartbreak, loneliness, and depression, the producer stated, “I could relate to and understand the music more deeply. A.R. Rahman’s and Pink Floyd’s music has profoundly influenced my songwriting, teaching me to go beyond commercial formulas and follow my feelings. As I wrote more songs, my perspective grew, pushing me to explore new music so that I could absorb and adapt as much as possible.”
As for the future, Charitrh intends to announce his debut EP toward the end of this year, sealed with a new single, music videos, and a streak of live performances.
Song Credits –
Written, performed, and produced by Charitrh (Hardik Bansode)
Mixed and mastered by Ashay Raut
Find Charitrh on: Instagram | Spotify | Apple Music
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