Mandeep Dhodi – Another Day EP
Hailing from Chandigarh, Mandeep Dhodi is a singer-songwriter based in Pune who is currently studying audio engineering. He began his musical journey at the age of 12 when he first handled a guitar. Three years ago, he began producing music on Ableton Live (a Digital Audio Workshop). He released ‘Another Day’ as a 4-track EP, stemming from his thoughts during the early stages of the lockdown. The EP consists of lush soundscapes that put you in a larger-than-life sort of mood. Each song has its own identity but has been tied together very well as a whole. Mandeep tells us that our biggest enemy is time and that we must cease the day. All 4 songs were recorded in his bedroom studio. The artwork features bright and a nature vibe, which perfectly sums up the sounds which Mandeep has put into this EP.
Tannison Mathews – Honor ft Wilson Lakra
Tannison Mathews is a songwriter based out of Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. Known in the local circuit as the drummer/songwriter for the band ‘Bandishein’, he started his independent project a year ago. A good number of his songs reflect a message of hope and optimism. Tannison collaborated with his long time friend and producer Wilson Lakra for this track who was a former IT consultant. His new release, ‘Honor’ is an empowering, upbeat track which talks about the journey of struggle and sacrifice to reach your goals or success. The production, starts of very simple and leads on to strong electronic beats which bring a rich character to the song. The raw, meaningful vocals on the track blend perfectly with the beats to create the perfect festival anthem.
X_p – Lost EP
x_p is a multi-genre electronic music project by Indore based music producer Siddharth Upmanyu. He focuses on expressing different emotions and feeling through his music and believes the best way to do it is through different genres and styles he tries to apply in his music. His recently released his second EP – ‘Lost’ features three tracks that are fully electronic/ instrumental based. All the tracks have a melodic yet melancholic build-up to future bass/dubstep drops that will enchant anyone who frequently listenly to artistss like Seven Lions and Illenium. According to Siddharth, the EP is an expression of various emotions such as anger, confusion, being lost but ends with ‘Hope’ as the last track to remind us that in all things, hope still remains. The artwork features a beautiful depiction of a boy looking into space, drawn in neons on a black backdrop.
Floyd Aranha – Tripping
Floyd Aranha is a singer-songwriter from Mumbai who begun his musical journey with the keyboard at the age of 9. He went on to play the guitar and even was the runner up on the 8th season of India’s Got Talent. His music has a certain joyous, easy-going nature to it that will instantly put a smile on your face. His new release, ‘Tripping’ is a lighthearted, playful song that talks about how love is a drug in itself and the fact that it can replace a lot of substances because of the way it makes you feel. The song also notes the feeling of ecstasy when you look into your lover’s eyes. “Baby there’s a million words to say, but my tongue gets tied when I look at your face,” writes Floyd. When you’re down, his peppy beats will surely help lighten your mood.
Zillionglare – Trouble
Zillionglare is a 21-year old Kerala-born artist based in Bangalore who begun rapping freestyle back in 2018 when he friends persuaded him to take it up. He released his first album EP ‘Broke’ in 2020 and has been moving from strength to strength since then. From his new album ‘Lyrically Sixth’ comes the new track ‘Trouble’, produced by Sam Francisco. The album took about eight months to record and produce from scratch and is an ode to Zillion’s hometown. ‘Trouble’ also features vocals by classical/carnatic singer Prashant and flows into the rap verse by Zillion. He tells us that the song is a divine journey, not only of having faith, but also questioning it when the need arises. His work is inspired by artists like Lil Wayne and Trippie Redd.
Issamood – That Way
Samudra is a producer from Kolkata who is currently based out of Bangalore. He started playing guitar 7 years ago and started producing under the name “Issamood” for under a year. The whole idea of his persona is to portray the kind of music he produces which is primarily chill lofi beats. He is also a part of the band Paula & The Associates who play Neo-Soul,RnB music. “That Way” is a R&B/Lo-fi record which represents both perspectives in a heartbreak. The groovy bass line and ambient production delivers emotions of loss, love, growth and hope adding the electric guitars in the pre-chorus makes it even more minimal and intimate, as it leads back into the beat in the catchy chorus.
