Among the rappers in desi hip-hop, if there’s anyone who has full rights to flex, brag, and narrate his journey with total conviction, it’s DIVINE. Along with the likes of Naezy, Mumbai’s Finest aka Ace, Dopeadelicz, D’Evil, Enkore, and others, DIVINE was championing honest and heartfelt hip-hop right from the start.

When his early albums Kohinoor and Punya Paap came out in quick succession in 2019 and 2020, respectively, DIVINE was consolidating his place as an alpha. There were a few tracks like “Mirchi” and “Chal Bombay” which showcased a commercial, club-friendly sound, but the ones that hit the hardest were tracks like “3:59 AM.” 2022’s Gunehgar came a couple of years later but quickly became a smash thanks to songs like “Baazigar” with beatsmith Karan Kanchan sampling an iconic Nineties Bollywood hit and DIVINE tapping Punjabi star Karan Aujla as his upward rise was well underway to create Street Dreams together in 2024.

So where does the gully rap great go when he has to drop his fifth album? The answer, as heard on the 16-track Walking on Water, is a tightrope balancing act between keeping his early fans happy, feeding his own growth as an artist and proving he can be a mainstream rapper (if he wanted).

There is only one rapper who can claim to have brought down Mass Appeal to India, only one rapper who took an entrepreneurial approach to desi hip-hop after the Bollywood movie Gully Boy made the style mainstream and only one rapper who could pull in the likes of Pusha T and Nas to perform in Mumbai. It’s all on the opening title track, “Walking on Water,” and all anyone can do is just listen to a master of the pen game keeping it real, backed by ad-libs and dreamy, classical-informed vocals.

That’s just the intro for DIVINE, and he’s aimed to show evolution and reflection on the rest of the album, but it’s come up with mixed results at best. By leaning on a mix of longtime and new producers on Walking on Water, the sonic quality of the album doesn’t miss at all.

The previously released “Triple OG” sees Phenom turn up percussive and orchestral hits that are refreshing. “Boom – Bonus Version” with Esna samples A.R. Rahman’s “Kehna Hi Kya” while “You & I” with Zzorawar samples R.D. Burman’s “Mehbooba Mehbooba.” Stunnah Beatz samples a Konkani song for fanfare on “Jungle Juice” that allows DIVINE to flow like Kendrick Lamar. “ABCD.” with producer Late Night Ricky’s synth line drops you straight to a late night on the streets.

Singer-songwriter Anami (who is heard in the intro) lends her vocal flair to the wistful “Rain,” produced by Stunnah Beatz that ably interpolates “Give Me Some Sunshine” from the 2009 movie 3 Idiots. “Tequila Dance” with Adil and Hanumankind is an instant bop with its groovy but fast-paced rhythms, and “Dada” with its heavy-footed piano produced by Mercy is resolute.

When DIVINE tries to turn on the charm on “You & I”, it works for a while, until it really doesn’t. Unlike “Chal Bombay” or other previous material that’s in this romantic space, the rapper should realize he might just be trying too hard. It’s not that he can’t fit in (he’s done that well in the past), but this one might be a misfire. Even the preceding track “Doordarshan” borders on forgettable in terms of not offering anything new sonically or lyrically.

With help from artists like Gurinder Gill on “Late Knights” and Riar Saab on “Saucy,” DIVINE gets to tap into Punjabi elements with some of the best in the business. In terms of collaborations, “ABCD.” with MC Altaf and Sammohit is yet another addition how the Gully Gang vibe is still going strong, with each rapper’s verse complimenting the other.

“Tequila Dance” is one of the strongest moments on Walking on Water, along with the heart-baring “Drama.” They’re on different ends of the thematic spectrum — one is a celebratory team-up, while the other is a note to oneself about the beauty of dreaming out loud. “Homicide” sees the rapper call on Phenom once again, but the danger and menace is so much more palpable here compared to “Doordarshan.” Cutthroat in its storytelling, DIVINE keeps listeners on the edge with this thriller of a track.

Five albums in, any sane punter would say DIVINE doesn’t have to prove his place in Indian hip-hop. But he’s out there still putting the word out and pushing in different directions. Some work, some don’t — but at the end of it, we can see the rapper is not doing this for relevancy (if he was, you’d see a lot more apparent gimmicks that we’ve seen from other rappers trying to grab the spotlight) but more in a continual search for authenticity. As long as that’s in sight, albums like Walking on Water will seem less like miracles and more like a milestone.  

The post DIVINE’s ‘Walking on Water’ Balances Money Moves and Gully Rap Roots appeared first on Rolling Stone India.

When Ed Sheeran’s lead singles to Play with “Azizam” and later, “Sapphire” (which features singing star Arijit Singh) dropped earlier this year, it was clear that the British pop artist was trying to draw from Eastern sounds–particularly Indian and Persian–and touring these regions for his eighth album.

It gave an early impression of Play being Sheeran trying pop of a different kind, one that had vocal melodies, instrumentation and production that mirrored the chart-topping music from countries like India, best heard on the Punjabi sample of “Symmetry” and “Sapphire.” Singh—a bona fide chart-topper in India—helped his friend out by recording Punjabi vocals, but clearly, Sheeran was thinking deeper.

His Play (The Remixes) EP is a four-track showcase of that thought. For all the articles written about the global leap that Indian music is making—from Punjabi stars Diljit Dosanjh, AP Dhillon and Karan Aujla to the Carnatic-meets-R&B concoction of Sid Sriram—these four tracks are part of that movement. Sheeran taps Aujla for “Symmetry” and the Punjabi-Canadian artist doesn’t miss, going all in for the remix. If you heard Sheeran singing just a smattering of Punjabi on “Sapphire,” on “Symmetry,” you can’t even fault his pronunciation. There’s a conviction in Sheeran singing in Punjabi that proves he’s put in the work and is on the same page as a star like Aujla.

Although Sheeran isn’t singing in Tamil on the “Don’t Look Down” remix, singer-songwriter Dhee, composer Santhosh Narayanan and rap star Hanumankind add plenty of South Indian cultural flavor to a song about resilience. Dhee matches harmonies with Sheeran but also leads her own section, with a Tamil vocal hook also added by Narayanan to make it sound fully filmi. Hanumankind’s distinct rap is set to some uncharacteristically upbeat production, but he’s clearly been chosen for his grit and that’s what shines on “Don’t Look Down.”

The “Sapphire” remix lets Singh take centerstage in a more emphatic way compared to the original English-focused version. There are additional verses in Hindi and Punjabi and vocal layers that make it sound rich, uplifting and very much arena-ready. The catchiest song on Sheeran’s album thus gets even catchier, even if it’s more focused towards Indian audiences.

“Heaven,” for its part, turns into a shaadi-ready, tearjerker outpouring of love. Jonita Gandhi walks the line between her affinity for pop and classically drawn vocal melodies, making her a perfect pick to match Sheeran for the lush song. We wouldn’t be surprised if this is the soundtrack to Indian weddings everywhere.

These four tracks have been transformed to a good degree by becoming remixes, but they also escape the trap of becoming known just as a new take on an existing song, because they’ve come out within a month of the original album. It’s possible that they could surpass the originals because of the new flavor they’ve been presented in. While it’s by no way fully representative of India’s music culture—Sheeran’s tour took him to Shillong, for example, so he could have tapped any of the North East’s sublime vocal talent like Taba Chake, Abdon Mech, Papon, Meba Ofilia or others—the EP is hopefully a gateway to many global listeners inquisitive about what pop music sounds like in India in 2025.

Play (The Remixes) EP comes at a time when we already know the likes of Gorillaz have worked with sarod artists Amaan and Ayaan Ali Bangash, legendary vocalist Asha Bhosle and flautist Ajay Prasanna on a thematically (and sonically) India-inspired album called The Mountain. While that’s slated to release in March and we’ve so far only heard “The Manifesto” bearing the marks of conspicuous Indian instrumentation, Play (The Remixes) is a full-tilt into the variety-filled world of Indian pop and hip-hop. It hits the mark just right and though Sheeran and Gorillaz occupy different worlds in the music realm, they can now both claim to have leaned on desi artists in a big way.

From the time he was memed for appearing on Page 3 with Bollywood stars to now working with important Indian artists, it’s safe to say Sheeran really deserves that Aadhar card after Play (The Remixes) EP.

The post Ed Sheeran’s ‘Play (The Remixes)’ EP Flexes India’s Diverse Voices appeared first on Rolling Stone India.

Tanmaya Bhatnagar – Phoolon Sa Dil EP

★★★½

Since her 2021 EP Wherever I Go, I’d Like to Be All I Need , which was achingly beautiful like few other singer-songwriters, Tanmaya Bhatnagar has moved countries, started a family, and tried a few different sonic palettes as a pop artist with singles like “Kahaani” and “Kyun Hota Hai?” It all set her on a clear path towards a full Hindi EP that captures tender emotions and sounds, much like her biggest songs like “Kya Tum Naraaz Ho?” The hummable melodies of “Kinaare” recount Bhatnagar’s bright pop singles; “Noor” is half lullaby and half ode for her daughter, “Supriya” is a starry dedication to her mother, straight from the heart. Made with producers Dhruv Bhola and Amar Pandey, there’s a familiarity in the title track “Phoolon Sa Dil” in its swaying, atmospheric pop. It’s all heart, and we might bet “dil” is one of the most repeated words on this EP, but Bhatnagar uses it in different contexts — like the lo-fi-inspired, voice-sampled “Zindagi.” It feels like a cinematic song for a protagonist whose contented, beaming smile matches a sunny day. Bhatnagar takes us there and asks us to bask in that glow, even if just for a short while. 

Apoorva Krishna – Only Love is Real

★★★★

There’s no question about violinist-composer and vocalist Apoorva Krishna‘s credentials — she’s performed with the likes of John McLaughlin, been a part of stellar albums like Varijashree Venugopal’s Vari, and often walked the tight rope between Carnatic music, fusion, and jazz. Her new album Only Love Is Real brings in more collaborators and wanders further (inwards, outwards, and onwards) compared to her 2021 album Intuition. “White” brings pianist Aman Mahajan and percussionist Sunaad Anoor for a warm kind of reminiscence. There’s more jazz-fusion, like “Between The Lines.” It’s melancholic, comforting, and has five instrumentalists and vocalists (including Vijay Prakash), but doesn’t sound stuffed. It’s the same with “Merging Parallels,” a tribute to tabla legend Zakir Hussain, featuring the likes of Venugopal and guitarist Aleif Hamdan. Krishna’s composing approach seems such that she’s not out to prove she’s a virtuoso, but is more about serving an emotion. “Surrender,” with composer and multi-instrumentalist Michael League from Snarky Puppy, wordlessly echoes with Krishna’s vocals. “Sacred Roots” pairs Momin Khan’s sarangi with violin powerfully, while “Song of the Heart” has a comforting contribution from multi-instrumentalist Mia Garcia that makes Only Love Is Real a comforting yet versatile listen.

Adam Avil – Aura

★★★ 

Mumbai’s seasoned rock star Adam Avil has been at it since the Nineties, even floating the rock band Pralay along the way. He’s slung riffs and ripped out guitar solos, but also tried funk and more bouncy glam rock. On his new album Aura, there’s a little bit of everything — the heavy prog of the title track that makes for a fiery opener, “Digging Full Swing” that has horns, and fast-paced funk on “Expresso.” While “How You Feeling Now” is kind of forgettable, the wild and free psychedelic energy of “Shine a Light” brings it back. “Unbroken” is short and isn’t too deep, but the final track, “Why,” does, in fact, bring that hard-earned, heartbroken wisdom to the front. It’s exactly the kind of songwriting you expect from a well-traveled rock artist like Avil, who clearly has a lot of experiences to mine.

Derek & The Cats – People to Meet, Places to See

★★★½ 

Inspired by their time at home and away, Bengaluru act Derek & The Cats take us to different locales on their new album, People to Meet, Places to See. From the sunny “Cubbon Park” that evokes a day off soaking in sprawling greens, to the exhilarating “Jonty Patel,” a dedication to a friend, bandleader Derek Mathias and his bandmates expertly deploy jazz and funk across seven songs. “Ratna Mahal” brings scintillating slide guitar as a tribute to a place where they forged their bond. The groovy “Maya” features sitarist Varun Nimbolkar, adding an apt amount of mystique, with windchimes and piano that feel transportive. The playful pair of “Techno Police” and “Do You Play the Techno” are clearly born from questions they were posed, which they turned into sparkling, synth jams. The tender “Leticia” brings guitarist Blesswin Winco, allowing Derek & The Cats to prove they’re one tight unit, but there’s always room for more. In the context of Indian jazz, few can present a skill-packed yet emotive record like them. 

Raj – Weather Changes Moods EP

★★★½ 

For those who may not be familiar with the blended style of jazz house, New Delhi producer Raj’s new EP Weather Changes Moods is a great primer. In just under 20 minutes, the guitarist-producer and composer brings together a calming yet buoyant new sound across seven tracks. Released via German label 55 Music, this EP is Raj’s way of moving beyond the lo-fi sound he’s been known for, while making comfort music you can turn to for focus and calm. “Fallin” is a quick but punchy opener with Hamburg DJ-producer Sven Wegner, while “It’s Happening” with saxophonist Maurice Sax and “Break The Ice” with Soul Food Horns put horns as a key element. The unshakeable rhythmic foundations of “Do It Alone”, along with a few samples, make it shine, while songs like “Don’t Know What Day It Is” and “Touch The Sun” sound like peak vacation-mode, hotel lobby core with its sparkling synths. 

Treekam – Treekam EP

★★★½  

In a worlds-collide kind of project, jazz-fusion act Treekam brings together Carnatic guitarist Abhay Nayampally, Nagaland’s guitar ace Arenlong Longkumer, acclaimed drummer J-Rod Sullivan, Sypro Gyra’s Tom Schuman, U.K. bassist Seb Read, producer-composer Sandeep Chowta, and producer/writer and seasoned music industry professional Arpito Gope. Add the Nagaland Folkloric Group and Naga singer Mengu Suokhire, and it’s a brand new territory with Treekam. Across five tracks, the artists prove just how far and wide their handshakes can go. There are funky overtones on “Spunky Town” that see Longkumer take the lead, while Nayampally’s Carnatic style permeates “Swan Song” and “Divine Directions” with more Indian traditional hues. The pair of songs featuring Nagaland folk vocals, “Blending Tunes” and “Zakto Tssoa,” are the best part about Treekam, which just goes to show, sometimes it really is the more the merrier. 

Nida, Derric D’Souza – Glimpses EP

★★★½

Four years in the making, Pune singer-songwriters and producers Nida and Derric D’Souza grow up through the course of five songs on their EP Glimpses. It might have a kind of plain EP title, but Glimpses has depth in good measure from Nida and D’Souza, who have been performing and making music as a duo since the pandemic. A tender piano intro carries you into the title track. It’s a woeful but cathartic kind of journey, with string arrangements that do a lot of the heavy lifting alongside Nida’s pointed questions like, “When I bumped into you/Were you acting nonchalant? I find that so hard to do.” She brushes off a potential romance on “Tread Carefully” (“You’ve got a reputation of dippin hearts like biscuits in your tea” is a delicious summation and takedown) and cheerfully takes on Hindi-English pop with “Kehdo,” which sings like an open book on the groove-flipping, sing-along “I Don’t Know,” which makes Glimpses EP an effervescent take on life’s changes and how we might roll with it.

Anoushka Maskey – Epilogue One 

★★★½

On her first album since 2020’s Things I Saw in a Dream, singer-songwriter Anoushka Maskey is more versatile than ever. The Mumbai-based, Sikkim-origin artist unleashes a hauntingly raw vocal tone to close “Nothing New,” which is like the sonic equivalent of a rollercoaster of moods and sounds — from waltz to overblown synth and finally, a quiet, folksy guitar. There’s a nostalgic country-like approach on “Hollow,” but the electronic flourishes by Sudan push it into new territory. There’s a lot more of that on songs like “Winter Sun” and the plaintive Cosmic Grooves collab “I Forget.” Maskey has a way with stretching her vocal harmonies to a hair-raising effect, and it’s underrated on Epilogue One. Her Nepali poem “Katha” touches upon heartbreak poignantly, building up to Nathan Thampy playing the harmonium on “Return to Sender.” The urgent yet distinct production flourish heightens Maskey’s confession that she’d “do it all over again with you.” If you know Sudan by now, his fingerprints are all over this final track, making Maskey’s new album a spirited assertion of her life, perfect for fans of acts like Peter Cat Recording Co.

Haiku – Surfacing EP

★★★★ 

A bunch of students and their teacher — who some may know as singer-songwriter and pianist Tanvi Rao from downtempo/trip-hop duo Sulk Station — make up Haiku, the Bengaluru jazz-fusion act. In five tracks, there’s a spark lit that tells us just how talented these students are, aided by Rao on piano and a bit of backing vocals. Carnatic violins by Mihir Rajeev on songs like “Morning Come Gently” and “Cycle Breaker” are a trump card, while Paro Mukherjee and Sukanya Kurpad’s vocal chops are impeccable on songs like the smooth “Lone Empire.” With Daniel Sundaram on bass, Om Iyer on drums, “Seven” deftly picks up the pace with hints of prog. We finally do hear Rao’s distinctly breathy, classically-trained vocals on “Re (Outro),” just a reminder of how diverse, powerful, and synchronous a band of students and their teacher can be. 

Death On The Horizon – All Is Not Lost EP 

★★★½

Guwahati band Death On The Horizon are adding to the nu-metal revival in India with their new EP All Is Not Lost. Although they’ve been around since 2009 and taken detours into djent in the past, this EP is a fist-pumping statement and a tip of the hat to the likes of Hatebreed, Machine Head’s The Burning Red, Korn, and Limp Bizkit. Downtuned guitars make for a slamming time on “Snot,” and dissonance abounds on “The Purge.” They bring in rapper Paigambar for the stomping, roomy “All Is Not Lost,” like a secret weapon to an uplifting song. It’s the kind of metal-rap combo you don’t see too often in India, but Death On The Horizon get it mostly right. The socially-conscious “Politricks” — a prior single — recalls early Sepultura, but the band serves up Assamese lyrics alongside bass bombs on “Baak,” proving this band is capable of experiments. 

The post Review Rundown: Anoushka Maskey, Tanmaya Bhatnagar, Treekam and More appeared first on Rolling Stone India.

She’s baaaaack. Cardi B has finally returned with Am I the Drama?, one of the most hotly awaited second albums in history. Incredibly, it’s been seven years since the Bronx queen crashed into the music world with her classic debut Invasion of Privacy, like a one-woman explosion of neon hip-hop flash, making everyone else sound tame by comparison. Yet in all those years, the self-proclaimed “Brimcess” has never been far from the spotlight or the headlines, without ever making a wrong musical move, scoring hits whenever she’s in the mood. 

On Am I the Drama?, Cardi makes up for lost time with a massive comeback triumph, standing tall in her bloodier-than-ever shoes. She’s got a long list of scores to settle, enemies to crush, crowns to claim. As always, she brings so much larger-than-life personality to the party that she could coast on charisma if she wanted. But Cardi’s been in the news lately for everything except her music, so it’s a trip to hear her finally get to cut loose and have fun. She’s out to remind everyone she’s looser, wilder, less predictable, just plain funnier than anyone else in the game. As she declares, “All of my cars is chauffeured/I ain’t touched door handles in years!”

She lives up to her RuPaul’s Drag Race-inspired album title, with her Alfred Hitchcock horror-flick artwork, because she’s always the drama. She kicks off the album with “Dead,” opening with a collage of news reports about her on a murderous rampage, aimed at rival rappers. But Cardi proves all their fears are true, roasting her foes left and right, as R&B singer Summer Walker coos the hook. “I’m collecting body bags like they purses,” Cardi warns. “I don’t even rap no more, I drive hearses/Bitches got some nerve and they be nervous/Don’t tell me, tell customer service.”

She brings that verve all over the album, with guest shots from everyone from sexy-drill king Cash Cobain to South African star Tyla. She duets with Selena Gomez on the high-spirited synth-pop banger “Pick It Up” and with Janet Jackson on the Eighties R&B-style “Principle.” In “What’s Going On,” she waves goodbye to a cheating ex-husband (“You don’t like that I moved on and I hate that for you” — hmmm, wonder who she has in mind) while Lizzo slams it home by singing the hook from 4 Non Blondes, a real Nineties rock flex. 

She bids a bittersweet goodbye to Offset — mostly bitter — on tracks like the touching “Man of Your Word,” where she laments their divorce over a warped steel-drum loop. “As a wife I should have realized when you was hurt/But instead I put my music first,” she says, taking the high road when she admits, “A lot of pressure when a bitch an icon.” But she doesn’t hold back from talking tough, saying, “You was my twin, you was my person/Said you was me but the evil version.” And then there’s the Southern club raunch of “Outside,” with the vicious hook, “Next time you see your mama, tell her how she raised a bitch.”

Cardi has always been a true multi-media pop-culture visionary, going from dancing in strip clubs to Vine stardom to a reality-TV fame on Love & Hip-Hop: New York, even starring with Jennifer Lopez in Hustlers. Some might have assumed at first that this woman was just an influencer dabbling in rap. But make no mistake: music has always been where her heart is, and one of her most underrated strengths has always been her wide-ranging sonic imagination. On Invasion, she slid from 1960s Bronx boogaloo (“I Like It”) to 1990s Dirty South bounce (“Bickenhead”) to 1950s doo-wop (“Thru Your Phone”), dabbling in all these different styles, yet claiming them as her own.

She brings all that ambition to Am I the Drama?. Whatever style she tries on, she comes out of the dressing room, struts out the door, and wears it home. “Bodega Baddie”  is high-speed hyped-up space-salsa, with Cardi saying “I’m like Selena, you can tell by my demeanor,” then throwing in the punch line “Dame más gasoliiiiina!“ She ends the album with two of her biggest hits, “WAP” (with Megan Thee Stallion) and “Up,” both over four years old — yet neither one sounds dated, because everyone else has spent the past four years imitating them.

Let’s face it, we love Cardi when she’s happy, but we worship her when she’s mad, and she’s out for blood on this album. Her beef with Bia seems to take a nasty turn on “Pretty and Petty,” as she taunts, “I’m Cardi B, shorty/Who you wanna be, shorty/You from Boston? Let’s have a little tea party.” She keeps twisting the knife, asking, “Why you always at Diddy house?/I heard they combed that kittty out.”

“Imaginary Playerz” seems to put Nicki Minaj on blast, “The shit these bitches be braggin’ about is like, shit I was doin’ in, like, 2016-type shit,” she proclaims. “You bitches don’t even know the difference between vintage and archive!” “Better Than You” is a riotous blast of attitude, over a Seventies soul loop that evokes UGK and OutKast’s “Int’l Players Anthem (I Choose You),” with an assist from Cash Cobain. At the end, the music speeds up into a higher key, as he reminds anyone who needs reminding that Cardi reigns supreme. 

It’s been so long since Invasion of Privacy, Cardi’s had three babies since then, and as she just announced this week, she’s expecting another child with her boyfriend, NFL star Stefon Diggs. She pays tribute to him all over the album, in tenderly romantic R&B love jams like “Nice Guy” with Tyla and “On My Back” with Lourdiz. Best of all, there’s “Safe,” a poignant duet with Kehlani. “You know I know you know that I’m that bitch right?” she says. “When I spaz and I crash, you ain’t gon’ dip, right?” 

But whether she’s celebrating domestic bliss or leaving heelprints on her rivals, she’s never dull — Cardi just doesn’t know how. She’s got all the mega-pop vision of her idol Madonna. “If it was up to me, I would do songs like ‘Erotica’ because that’s what I like,” she told Rolling Stone last year. “I like Madonna’s Erotica, ‘Justify My Love.’ If I was on that level that Beyoncé’s at, I would do songs like that.”

The world has been eager for this album to the point where even Young Thug pushed back his new UY Scuti a week out of mutual respect, saying, “It’s a ladies’ day.” But the fact is, long before the camera and the music biz and the whole world fell in love with her, she’d already spent her whole life getting knocked down 9 times and getting up ten. Nothing ever holds her back. Am I The Drama? is the fittingly grand return for a queen who never left the throne.

From Rolling Stone US.

The post Cardi B Is Back and Out For Blood on ‘Am I the Drama?’ appeared first on Rolling Stone India.

On the bubblegum pink cover of his eighth studio album, Play, Ed Sheeran clearly lays out his goals for the project in a written message. “Play is leaving the past behind. Play is colorful. Play is dancing. Play is nostalgic,” the mission statement reads. Can an album leave the past behind and be nostalgic at the same time? Ed sure hopes so.

On the opening track, aptly-titled “Opening,” the multi-platinum singer-songwriter draws a line in the sand and moves beyond the emotional struggles that were present on 2023’s − (Subtract). In the process, he turns towards South and West Asian rhythms to create a fusion of dance-ready, upbeat pop songs that represent the bright disposition implied by the album’s title and cover. Yet, as promised, Play is also mainly steeped in fond memories of the past as Sheeran spends most of the record revisiting the singer-songwriter pop ballads that made him famous. It’s a somewhat disorienting move for a project that is supposed to be looking ahead.

The most interesting moments on Play are the cross-cultural, experimental songs that find Sheeran hitting a new pop wave. “Sapphire” is built around a shiny, irresistible rhythm thanks to Iranian-Swedish producer Ilya and an assist from Indian mega star Arijit Singh. Similarly, the sultry, dancefloor number “Symmetry” has a thumping heart that can get anyone dancing, even if they don’t know what the Hindi chorus is saying. Mostly, though, when it comes to globetrotting musical fusions Sheeran isn’t exactly George Harrison or Paul Simon. Instead, songs like “Azizam” and “Don’t Look Down” sound misplaced, especially as their bright sitar and flute tones push against the more melancholy, acoustic-driven tracks on Play.

For the most part, the album finds Sheeran returning to the singer-songwriter ballad form. Save for the rap verse on “Opening” which recalls early career innovations like 2011’s “You Need Me, I Don’t Need You” and pensive folk track “Old Phone,” Sheeran’s time travel only takes him back a few years, to 2017’s Divide to be exact. “Camera” is a sappy, crescendoing ode in the vein of “Perfect” that will undoubtedly dominate future wedding playlists, while “The Vow” is a soulful, jazz-inflected moment with Hallmark-card lyrics ( “I thank the broken road that led me to you”) that weirdly seems to channel a Rascal Flatts love song  of all things. It’s not all misses; Sheeran flexes his detail-focused songwriting on softer ballads like “In Other Words” and “Slowly.”

Overall, despite some of its nods to a more global sound, Play is a lot more of the same radio-tailored singer-songwriter music that has become Sheeran’s signature in his 15-year career. “Been a long time on top, but I ain’t complacent/ If I look down, I can see replacements,” he raps on “Opening.” That sentiment in mind, it’s kind of ironic that in a pop music landscape filled with post-Sheeran balladeers like Alex Warren and Teddy Swims, the man himself can’t find a way to move his music forward.

From Rolling Stone US.

The post Ed Sheeran Plays On — But It’s the Same Old Song appeared first on Rolling Stone India.

Philtersoup – Lights On

★★★½ 

About a decade ago, we got artists like Mumbai singer-producer Nicholson blending singer-songwriter vulnerability and powerful, trippy electronic music. Mumbai-based Philtersoup aka Sanjay Das’ new album Lights On reminds us of that time. It’s perhaps just a coincidence that the producer says this 10-track collab-friendly album is a culmination of a decade’s worth of explorations, because that’s exactly around when Nicholson’s last material was out.

Comparisons aside, Philtersoup shines bright in his production choices, sonic palettes and of course, vocal choices. Singer-songwriter Karshni leads the urgent “I Know You’re Here With Me” and the tempo picks up even more on songs like “Heart To Hold” and “Vessels.” Like a journey that weaves in and out of states of clarity and deliberate haze, songs like “Click Track GF” and “Search For What” with singer-songwriter Rounak Maiti unravel like a soundtrack. With longtime collaborator SAT (they worked together on the 2022 EP Emersion), there’s gripping trip-hop energy on the two-part title track that feels like they always pick up right where they left off. If there’s one outlier on Lights On, it’s the standalone production “Groofy,” which sounds either like an interlude, or a sonic sketch more suited to a beat tape.

Anika – Five Foot Three

★★★½ 

We knew Goa-based singer-songwriter Anika was on to something relatable yet witty when she released “Sex Is Overrated” earlier this year. Part of her debut album Five Foot Three, Anika is just as curious, cautious and openhearted as we’d expect on the rest of the seven-track record. Enlisting Mumbai singer-songwriter Tejas as producer, the album’s title track nods earnestly to past wins and how they’ve shaped the person she is today. Tejas’ production adds a familiar pop warmth to the indie-pop on “Tic Tac Toe” and there’s a much-needed wistful rock punch to “Dancing With a Pisces,” something we need more singer-songwriters to take a chance on in the country. The rest of the album slows, but it’s not short of intimate revelations, like “19” about valuing friendships over material wealth. Humorous and poignant, Five Foot Three has plenty of wisdom to live by. 

Aswekeepsearching – Kyun? 

★★★½ 

In the time between albums, post-rock band Aswekeepsearching’s founder Sarmah has focused on apps, a cafe and life away from the hustle of metro cities. Bassist Bob Alex moved cities from Pune and drummer Sambit Chatterjee, shuttling between Mumbai and Kolkata as an in-demand sessions drummer, seems to have stepped up to do more composing than before on their new album Kyun? 

They aren’t afraid to lean into what’s worked philosophically or thematically, so there’s nothing too adventurous to write home about in the lyrics of the album, but it’s not so much playing it safe as it is about writing about what they know. Sonically, the reflective acoustic guitar-infused track “The Search” sounds like it could fit in a movie, while “You Left Something” brings producer-violinist Ajay Jayanthi’s poignant violin alongside synth and grandiose rock passages. Darker tracks like “Into The Heart” brings epiphanies, while “Nature of Life” feels like it was inspired by mindfulness. The breathy-turned-emphatic “Happiness>God” recalls the band’s unmistakable influence from acts like God Is An Astronaut, and “I’m Here, With You!” is a repeat-worthy, metal-edged song that even throws in a saxophone solo from multi-instrumentalist Shreyas Iyengar. The band that pioneered post-rock in India don’t veer too much off the lush, verdant path of cinematic, stirring music on Kyun? but they have certainly made it a point to evolve, even if just slightly. 

Charu Suri – Shayan

★★★★

Meditative, easy listening and wellness music is everywhere these days, going beyond headphones and quiet rooms to full-fledged tours. Indo-American pianist and composer Charu Suri’s fifth album Shayan proves a worthy testament to why this space is all substance and no gimmicks for her. Feather-soft piano punctuates the title track, and the seven-track album largely moves gently between jazz, ambient and classical. Suri draws from raagas (“Raga Durga,” “Raga Jog”) and evokes a sense of calm with string arrangements on “Mohanam Hymn.” Piano and acoustic guitar pair up for a duet on “Nightingale,” which is about as urgent and energetic as Shayan gets, but that’s not a bad thing. Suri knows how to push and pull the strings just right for a calming listen. 

Begho – I EP

★★★½ 

It’s been a few years since vocalist and songwriter Biprorshee Das’ shrill and scary-good shrieks have terrorized the ears of Indian metalheads. The vocalist behind erstwhile heavy metal band Albatross is arguably one of the best things about Mumbai band Begho’s debut EP I. But that’s just the initial impression of the five-track EP. Kicking off with an ominous start featuring keyboardist-composer Sushan Shetty (from black metal veterans Cosmic Infusion), Begho have an aptly primal sonic assault on “Meat Missile” and get playfully cool (with a whistled portion) on “Steal From The Rich. Keep.” Guitarists Kiron Kumar (from metallers Primitiv) and Varun Panchal (from thrashers Carnage Inc.), drummer Jay Thacker (from Albatross) and bassist Saurav Das (from rock band Twist To Break Seal) are polished and brutal in turns, especially on the story-driven title track “Begho.” The band’s lyrical plot is based around a predator in the Sunderbans forest, which makes stomping songs like “King” hit horrifically close to home.

Rivu – Dinosaurs EP

★★★½

Kolkata multi-instrumentalist Rivu aka Shubhagata Singha draws from “unaddressed grief” on his new EP Dinosaurs, so there’s stages of grief represented (loosely) across five tracks. From electronic pop to prog to jazz, Rivu has a nimble takedown of wealth inequality on “Ivory Towers” (but wryly adds, “But I wanna be like you”) and employs an apt lo-fi-like guitar approach to “You’re Not Lazy,” which deals with deflecting procrastination (you’d think with a title like “Song 5 v3 Final,” the closing track could give that impression too). There’s a familiar mad-scientist quirkiness that delightfully punctuates “Time Shadow,” a nihilistic centerpiece that is for anyone who wants to skip to more prog. The storyline around grief may not exactly hit home on the first few listens, but there are always Rivu’s refreshing experiments. 

Prin$e Alexander – When The Moon Turns Dark

★★★

Philadelphia-based, Indian-origin hip-hop artist Prin$e Alexander thanks his ancestors and family on the opening track to his new album When The Moon Turns Dark, which is also the title track that sees him flip everything you might know about him from rap songs like “Permanent Vibes.” This one is a bouncy pop record that’s made for dancefloors, but he doesn’t leave hip-hop behind completely. In fact, songs like “Fall Down” are still rooted in hip-hop. Call it The Weeknd effect or just the itch to diversify, cinematic pop certainly suits Prin$e Alexander and he takes his own liberty in not just rushing to a hook (“Armed & Dangerous”), while other times we’re being dropped straight into a party (“My Only 1,” “Sunday”). There’s euphoria on “Nirvana,” roomy bops like “Too Much” and glittering synth-pop cuts like “Stand By Me.” 

Half of Joy – An Impulse of a Human Heart EP

★★★

After Toronto-based, Indian prog guitarist-composer Shankar released his project Half of Joy’s debut album Waxing Gibbous last year, it was clear that he had a synergy with artists like drummer Anup Sastry (formerly of prog bands like Skyharbor and Monuments) and bassist Zoltan Renaldi. The project’s latest EP An Impulse of a Human Heart chugs and thumps along as naturally as heartbeats, true to its title. “Monarch” presents grooves that goes from djent to bright prog in the vein of Plini and more. “Brooklyn” starts quieter and has a glorious saxophone solo that clinches it. Although “Soleil” is rendered as an unplugged version from Waxing Gibbous, there’s not too much audibly changed save for the heavier ending on the original, but if you’re new to Half of Joy, it might leave you wanting more. 

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In July last year, Hanumankind released “Big Dawgs” with producer Kalmi and to India’s surprise, it became the biggest English rap song to come out of the country. It catapulted the Bengaluru-based artist to new heights and a year on, he’s been reaping the rewards—from big festival stages like Coachella and Rolling Loud Thailand to Lollapalooza India, collabs with the likes of British producer Fred again.., football clubs, film and T.V. shows, video games such as Fortnite, and more.

To sum it up, if you hadn’t heard of Hanumankind before “Big Dawgs,” you sure as hell were getting introduced to him in one way or another. But for those who did follow the rapper’s journey into the Hindi-dominated hip-hop space in India, it was clear that Hanumankind was still trying to break past a ceiling until he finally did. There were signs, no doubt—every song from “Southside” on his 2019 EP Kalari to “Damnson” to “Go To Sleep” was steadily blowing up, and his game was bolstered by film song appearances like “The Last Dance” for the Malayalam action-comedy Aavesham.

It’s safe to say that Monsoon Season—Hanumankind’s first mixtape and his first ever collection of songs since Surface Level EP in 2020—is the rapper’s most definitive statement, even if it’s within the wide-ranging showcase format of a mixtape and not a concept-driven album. From the visceral percussion of songs like “Run It Up” and the title track “Monsoon Season,” it feels like he and producers Kalmi, Hisab and Parimal Shais have crafted a thematic universe in some senses, but they leave it wide open to interpretation.

There are several anchors across 12 tracks on Monsoon Season—Denzel Curry joins Hanumankind on the warning shot that’s “Reckless.” Curry brings his rage to the swerving track and HMK welcomes listeners with bars like “All my people stay ready,” name-checking Kerala, Bengaluru, Mumbai, New Delhi and Houston. “Big Dawgs” (and its raucous remix with A$AP Rocky) finds a place on Monsoon Season as well. Why? Because it’s likely the starting point of the mixtape project. Kalmi said online that it features tracks at least four years in the making. Along with “Run It Up,” these are still the two most frenzied tracks on Monsoon Season.

The pre-mixtape releases like “Villainous Freestyle” (performed for the On The Radar freestyle series) and “Holiday” (performed for the song series Colors and now padded up resplendently with a horn section by Rhys Sebastian) flex HMK’s affinity for bars and a cadence like few others in the game.

HMK’s go-to beatsmith Parimal Shais steps up with Kalmi for “Goons” that features Houston rapper Maxo Kream. The song got a premiere at Hanumankind’s Coachella set earlier this year and the studio version lives up to the hype, a didgeridoo-echoing stomper that moves like an entry theme where the rappers trade stories from India to Houston.

The soul-baring, introspective side of Hanumankind shines just as bright as his jubilant flex tracks. Where previous releases like “Bottle of Mh” and “Catharsis” with Bengaluru-based R&B artist Rudy Mukta have been revelatory, songs like “Cause” (arguably a career-best) and “Someone Told Me” (with American artist Roisee) dive deeper into the rapper’s psyche. Relentless pursuit is the outlook, but so is fighting for causes and asking questions unflinchingly and standing by those who fight for a cause, all wrapped together in five-minute journeying tracks. It ties back into singles like “Genghis,” which show there’s still a socially-conscious side to the rapper.

Among the real surprises on Monsoon Season is the interlude track “29.11.23,” featuring a loving voice message from HMK’s mother in Malayalam to take care. It’s a rare glimpse into his personal life that he’s not offered in this much detail until now. Then, there’s “Sicko,” a surprise turn into rap-rock and nu-metal influences with ambient blips and synths embellishing his echoing, melodic rap hooks. It’s a seething takedown of systemic injustices including racism, the tortured poet in HMK giving it his all.

If you knew the braggadocious Hanumankind, then there’s plenty on Monsoon Season that leans into his vulnerabilities, without airbrushing anything for an international audience. He screams his purpose on songs like the cinematic, visceral cut “Monsoon Season,” which is no doubt a centerpiece, but also sits down to share his concerns.

If HMK was on the way before, Monsoon Season marks an arrival—one that fans may have been waiting for (and they’re maybe still asking why “Rush Hour” isn’t on streaming) and have finally got a lot to immerse themselves in.

The post Hanumankind’s ‘Monsoon Season’ Is the Arrival of a Global Rap Contender appeared first on Rolling Stone India.

Don’t Tap the Glass is Tyler, the Creator’s second album in less than a year and, at only 28 minutes, notably less robust than its predecessor, Chromakopia. But all the elements of his work are here: the swaggy boasts, the effortless shifts from deep-voiced rapping to winsome, slightly off-key singing that makes a listener wonder if a second person has entered the booth; and beats that shape-shift like a kid rifling through a toy box. It’s the latest manifestation of a boundless creative impulse that has helped him leap from grumpy provocateur circa 2009’s Bastard to arena status, an annual music festival in Camp Flog Gnaw, and Billboard chart-topping albums. His musical template of youthful braggadocio and disarming sensitivity should be recognizable to anyone that has absorbed his work. But it’s entertaining all the same.

Thematically, Don’t Tap the Glass is intended to create distance between Tyler’s superstar heroics and the 34-year-old Californian underneath the image. But it’s mere packaging for an artist that loves to conceptualize his work to make sense of his latest studio adventures. “Big Poe” unfolds like an early Aughts bottles-and-models romp, complete with a cameo from Pharrell “Sk8brd” Williams and a sample of Busta Rhymes and Williams’ 2002 hit, “Pass the Courvoisier Part II.” “Sugar on My Tongue” echoes the oral-sex allusion of the Talking Heads number (as well the 2003 Trick Daddy and Cee-Lo Green cover) as Tyler sings over an Eighties funk vibe. He appropriates the run-on flow ever-present in current rap lyricism as he rhymes, “So please keep that weirdo shit from me/I’m just stackin’ up my cheese, tryna stay sucka free.” Then he claims on “Stop Playing with Me,” “When I get to snappin’ like doo-wop/Really got the juice like 2Pac.” For the title track, he chirps, “Nigga said I lost touch with the regular folks/I ain’t never been regular, you niggas is jokes,” and copies Too Short’s patented “Biiitch!” for emphasis.

Tyler’s po-faced assertions of gettin’ that paper and flying private with Maverick Carter and Lebron James are offset by moments when he sings anxiously, as if his chest-thumping masks a soft interior. While most melodic rap acts attempt to transform their macho desires into post-millennial pop-blues, Tyler deploys an emo voice that trembles with anxiety, as if he’s struggling with vulnerability and gender expectations. Perhaps intentionally, there’s nothing on Don’t Touch the Glass that feels as explicit as when he rapped on 2017’s Flower Boy, “I’ve been kissing white boys since 2004.” Instead, he duets with underrated alt-soul performer Madison McFerrin on “Don’t You Worry Baby,” ad-libbing as she sings, “We can carpool, cum at the same time.” In many ways, Tyler’s brazen sexuality feels refreshingly Gen-Z. Yet his incongruent coyness also reflects a lineage of Black performers who curate their public lives, carefully hiding secrets from public view. These tensions appear in most if not all of Tyler’s work. “I can buy the galaxy/But can’t afford to look for love,” he sings on “Tell Me What It Is.”

Don’t Tap the Glass may not offer new twists, but it’s still fun to hear Tyler conjure magic tricks like “Don’t Worry, Baby,” which spools together an R&Bass rhythm and is reminiscent of Ghost Town DJs’ “My Boo” and K.P. & Envyi’s “Swing My Way.”  If this 10-track album has problems, it’s not a relative lack of candor, but Tyler’s refusal to break from a patented sound that draws from equal parts Kanye West, OutKast, and Neptunes; and has proved an enduring form of hip-hop in the past decade-and-a-half. He’s tried shaking things up before with the clumsy Afropunk flurries of 2015’s Cherry Bomb. (On “I’ll Take Care of You,” he revisits the rollicking rhythm of that album’s title track, and pairs it with a sample of Crime Mob’s “Knuck If You Buck.”)

Now that he’s matured into such an accomplished musician, one wonders if it isn’t worth trying again. Perhaps that’s part of the plan for Don’t Tap the Glass, too: Give the people what they love, warn the superfans to keep their distance because he’s “Noid,” and figure out what to do next.

From Rolling Stone US.

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Burrah – Letting Go EP

★★★½ 

Punjabi pop and hip-hop often circle around a handful of themes, where artists lay more emphasis on rhythm and melodies than lyrical depth. Burrah has always been a breath of fresh air over the last few years, and with his new EP Letting Go, the Punjabi artist goes from strength to strength in laying out his vulnerabilities and wins alike. In addition to digging deeper than ever into his personal experiences, there’s a marked intention to stay in the hip-hop zone, like on the nocturnal musing song “Kyu Rataan Nu,” produced by Zero Chill. A lo-fi beat from Jizzy on “Je Tu Hundi Naal” is Burrah’s canvas to profess love and deliver the world on a platter to his beloved, which doubles down on his big dreams (including manifesting a Grammy). The more exuberant “Khuli Hawa” ties together the narrative, with Burrah sounding happier than ever, as evident in just the pitch and tonality, as well as the summery production from Gndhi. Punjabi music needs more of Burrah, and he’s not holding back. 

Varijashree Venugopal – Vari (The Live Sessions) 

★★★★ 

A year after taking her debut album Vari around the world to acclaim, Bengaluru singer-composer Varijashree Venugopal‘s live album reimagines just a few choice cuts. She’s joined by Snarky Puppy’s bandleader and producer/multi-instrumentalist Michael League, violinist Apoorva Krishna, keyboardist Vivek Santhosh, co-producer and percussionist Pramath Kiran and percussionist Jayachandra Rao. If Vari was densely packed with collaborations and production wizardry, Vari (The Live Sessions) exists as a formidable alternative in which Venugopal and these artists shine in the same way they do at live performances. “Harivaa Jhari” gets a stirring violin solo that retains the urgency of the track, and the dextrous “Ranjani” opens with a konnakol jugalbandi before stretching into darker vocal calisthenics from Venugopal. Meanwhile, it’s equally mind-bending Carnatic-jazz counterpart “Chasing The Horizon” is driven by a mouth harp. The artist introduces the flute on the pastoral “Kannada” with Praveen D. Rao, and “Jaathre” is cinematic with its throbbing synth-bass. “Teardrop” evokes powerful Kannada soul-jazz, and there’s a swaying calmness to “Nee,” which really puts Venugopal in a category of one. You can hear a car horn or two, which just shows how Bangalorean Vari is as a live album. 

Rascals Of The First Order – Caged Authority EP 

★★★½ 

Bengaluru-based rock trio Rascals of The First Order aren’t being as innocuously cheeky as their name suggests on their debut EP Caged Authority. If anything, this five-track EP underscores how they’ve grown up and out of their college-era idealism and grappling with the world that they’re swept up in, with molten riffs aplenty. “Hardwired” is a fuzzy, shattering riff fest with vocalist Sivan Chakravarthy singing, “If the eggs in the basket break, flip it all out.” Serpentine, surging melodies are apt for “Python,” which takes inspiration from the endangered and displaced Burmese Python. The world-building and frenetic rock attack might remind you of Chennai rock trio Skrat (especially the dancey “Bad Beaver”), but there’s nothing wrong with that. These songs average at about five minutes, which is a gamble in today’s age, but Rascals of The First Order clearly have a lot to say. The stoner epicness of “Feels Like Shit” is their catchiest, mixing a bit of funk too, while the aggro “One Last Blow” pushes back against broken dreams. Caged Authority is a triumphant fist in the air that should make Rascals of the First Order a name we want to see on festival stages.

Meghdhanush – Dareechey

★★★

Lyrically, the strongest song on the seven-track album from fusion rock band Meghdhanush is “Dekh Tamasha,” which opens Dareechey. It’s a takedown of everything that’s wrong with the world, from greed to apathy. Even though they have the able pen of Alok Ranjan Srivastava on most songs, Meghdhanush never quite comes close to that balance of lyrical and sonical depth on the rest of Dareechey. The heavy-footed, dark and heavy song “Kabira” ranges from Led Zeppelin to prog melodic frenzy and konnakol, while “Chalo Wapas Chalein” taps into roving modern rock, standing out for its tempo-flipping drumwork. With the latter, there’s an earnest message, but the rhythmic work is far more exciting. The break-free philosophical musings of songs like “Re Udd Jaa” are deep, no doubt, but then, it seems to rely too much on sonic motifs we’ve already heard on the album. The pick-me-up reminder to self on the title track might have just worked as a fully acoustic arrangement. The cheery “Kho Gaye Pal” is made for big stages (and best suited for college festivals), showing the range that Meghdhanush are capable of on a collection of songs.

Sanjay Divecha – Leela

★★★★ 

A veteran guitarist and composer who’s played with the likes of Santana and been a contributing force on rising singer-songwriters like Ananya Sharma, Sanjay Divecha spent several years putting together his acoustic solo album Leela. The result is that each of the nine tracks is like a snapshot of a world that you can travel into. “When Mountains Meet The Sky” is idyllic with its classical guitar, “Afrika” is adorned in the melodies learned from Cameroonian artist Andre Manga. “Song for John Ji” with vocals by Apoorv Petkar is a nod to jazz-fusion legend John McLaughlin, while more tributes pour out to Bossa Nova (“For Tom” with wordless vocals by Vasundhara Vee) and the bright aesthetic of keyboardist/pianist Karan Joseph on “Song for Kjo.” A spiritual kind of power surges through “Path To You and Anandi” with Anand Bhagat and Sharma. Meanwhile, the two-part title track journeys through intricate yet soulful guitar work, the kind that can summon feelings without words. Leela is a serene album in which Divecha lulls everyone into introspection armed with just an acoustic guitar. 

Dossers Urge – Glitter EP

★★★½

Shillong rock act Dossers Urge cover a lot of ground across 10 minutes on their new EP Glitter, a testament to how they’ve never wanted to stick to just one sound. Sure, affiliated projects like the instrumental act Murder In Space have given us some stellar work, but Dossers Urge are more rooted in indie rock. True to its title, Glitter EP is synth-driven and veers in and out of a minor key as and when the trio pleases. Capers are covered with a side of reflection on “For Crumbs,” which spirals out with an instrumental jam. A more cheery energy is exuded on the dancey title track, while “Monday Service” has just the right blend of punk, synth and indie, sounding intergalactic and dissonant in turns. Glitter EP is all about synth experiments from Dossers Urge, one that can take over dancefloors and also get some fists pumping. If there’s one drawback, it just feels like it ends too soon. 

Chinna – No Turning Back EP

★★★

Among the latest hitmakers on the block, Gurdaspur-born, Canada-raised artist Chinna‘s new EP is proof that you don’t necessarily need the most revelatory lyrics to create songs that connect with the masses. Climbing up charts, there’s a formulaic lyrical approach across six songs on No Turning Back. But where Chinna scores is the way everything comes together, from full-throated vocals to a diverse sonic palette (thanks to producers Manni Sandhu and Cheema Y) that keeps things fresh. “Famous” with singer Param is a folksy tune with big aspirations, while “Convo” is engaging in its measured hip-hop beat from the first bar with Gur Sidhu. Thankfully, there’s enough space for the beat to shine. “Murder Melody” is a quick hit for the clubs, and “Redbone” might just sound repetitive, but is saved by the Latin-informed beat. Chinna emphatically insists he’s “Still Desi” on the closing track, making No Turning Back the kind of music that emits good vibes, just not enough storytelling substance to stand out. 

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A few weeks ago, I found myself sitting in the back of a cab at 1:30 a.m., AirPods in, as city lights flickered through the window, the streets mostly empty. I wasn’t heartbroken, not exactly. But I was tired in that specific way you get when you’ve loved people who didn’t quite love you back in the way you hoped. The kind of tired that makes your chest feel full and hollow at the same time. That’s when I hit play on Is Love Enough?, Kayan’s new five-track EP. Within seconds, it felt like someone had opened a door I didn’t realize I’d been knocking on.

Kayan doesn’t posture or preach. She doesn’t chase a climax or spoon-feed a resolution. What she does instead is document. Each track on Is Love Enough? captures a feeling just as it is, without filtering it for relatability or trying to turn it into something bigger. The record leans into the quiet, unglamorous corners of intimacy—the mornings after, the 3 AM texts, the ache of staying even when you know it’s time to leave. This isn’t a concept project, and it isn’t here to teach you a lesson. It’s a diary you’re being allowed to borrow for 13 minutes, written by someone who isn’t afraid to admit that she doesn’t always have it together.

It begins with “Denim Jeans,” a slow, breathy meditation on the first flicker of something new. There’s tension in the air, not from drama, but from proximity. The production is warm and minimal, as if trying not to interrupt a moment already in progress. Kayan’s voice never tries too hard—it just lands. Soft, matter-of-fact, intimate.. It’s a song that feels like lying next to someone without touching, both of you pretending it means nothing, even as your hearts are thudding out the truth.

“Good Kinda Love” is the closest the EP comes to an open-hearted confession. There’s a sweetness here, but it’s tinged with nerves. The song blends Indian rhythms with easy pop melodies, and Kayan lets her voice stretch a little more this time. You get the sense she wants to believe what she’s singing—that there’s a kind of love out there that doesn’t leave you guessing. That devotion can feel like ease. Produced by Val, whose work in the alt-pop space is known for being clean but emotionally textured, the track feels hopeful without being naive.

Then comes “Hold Me Down,” the first real pivot. It’s flirtatious, direct, and rhythmically charged, with a beat that leans on amapiano percussion, but still manages to leave just enough room for the lyrics to bite. There’s a smirk in Kayan’s delivery here—a shrug of the shoulders and a little bit of power reclaimed. It’s the kind of track that plays when you’re putting on mascara after a few weeks of crying. The accompanying music video places her in a palace, styled like a modern-day queen—equal parts fantasy and refusal. It’s the moment on the EP where Kayan steps out of her own head and speaks out loud.

“Too Long” is the breaking point. Where the illusion of control starts to crack. The production gets colder, more electronic. There’s a restraint to it that mirrors the numbness in the lyrics. She’s not pleading, she’s processing. You can hear the exact moment when disappointment stops feeling surprising and starts feeling familiar. What makes it land is the clarity. No one is demonized, there’s no high drama. Just fatigue. That painful, quiet realization that you gave someone more time than they deserved, and that maybe you knew it all along.

The final track, “i’m fine,” is the one that stayed with me long after I’d stepped out of the cab that night. Built on afro-influenced rhythm with an emotional undercurrent that creeps in gradually, it’s not about heartbreak, it’s about the lie you start to believe just to keep going. Kayan repeats the phrase like a prayer, each time a little less convincing. The strength in the song doesn’t come from resolution, but from the honesty of sitting with that denial. What makes Is Love Enough? so affecting is how little it tries to perform its pain. There’s no overproduction, no vocal acrobatics, no desperate push for relatability. Instead, Kayan offers specificity, restraint, and texture. The result is a project that doesn’t try to make you cry or dance—it just makes you feel seen. And maybe that’s the point. Love might not be enough, but sometimes, a song is.

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