For someone who’s never been able to answer the questions, “What’s your favourite song?” or “Which is your favourite band?”, putting together a (painfully short) list of Indian independent bands to recommend seemed like a task designed to cause hyperventilation and undue stress.
The vetting process involved adding bands to a never-ending list and arbitrarily deciding that a certain number was enough, listening to arguments for and against the inclusion of certain artists and trying to justify the final six choices.
Right off the bat, it needs to be made clear that this is a subjective list limited by several factors.
I’ve excluded solo artists since there were just so many to choose from.
Better known indie bands like Thermal and a Quarter, Junkyard Groove, Soulmate, Dualist Inquiry and Avial have not found a place on this list simply because I made an effort to discover new and unique sounds.
Disclaimer: All of these bands make for mellow listening because I compiled the list while working on the thousand things that a newsroom throws up on a short-staffed Saturday.
Peter Cat Recording Co.
Based in Delhi.
Ganesh Talkies
Based in Kolkata.
Skrat
Based in Chennai.
Klypp
Based in Bangalore.
The F16s
Based in Chennai.
If you were curious about the cover image for this story, it’s a photo taken from Bangalore-based Thermal And A Quarter’s latest album The Scene. The album is a snarky take on the music scene that inevitably confronts any independent or indie artist in pretty much any part of India.
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