Dindun Deliver a Soul-Stirring Experience on New EP
Kolkata-based synth-folk/alternative duo Dindun staples a pristine new chapter to their vibrant discography in the form of a new EP titled ‘Dindun, Vol. 3.’
Kolkata-based synth-folk/alternative duo Dindun staples a pristine new chapter to their vibrant discography in the form of a new EP titled ‘Dindun, Vol. 3.’
Helmed by musicians Sourjyo Sinha and Rohit Ganesh, this subsequent branch of releases trajects a fresh newness for the pair, rhythmically exploring the urban landscapes of Silchar and Kolkata. In both Bengali and Sylheti languages, they portray the urban environment while dipping into ambient, immersive, experimental, and rock motifs mixed with folk components.
“What I’m most excited about for the fans to find out with this EP is that their expectations of us as a very dreamy, lovely band would go out of the window with the first song itself. It’s heavy, it’s dirty, while still keeping our essence. We still have a couple of dreamy tracks, though,” expressed Sourjyo in a press statement.
‘Chorai’ or ‘Sparrow’ slots first, flowing with dreamy synth patterns, mellow crooning, and rich drum action courtesy of Gaurab ‘Gaboo’ Chatterjee. Elevated by stellar industrial and post-rock details, it spotlights the rampant urbanization and unrest resulting in a declining sparrow population. ‘Chorai’ is accompanied by an animated music video illustrated by Sourish Mustafi, who also designed the EP’s artwork.
Next up is ‘Tungsten,’ which traces modern life and runs back the clock to multiple recollections of their childhood, particularly of a tungsten bulb that illuminates with a bright orange hue. Captured by lyrics in Bangla and Sylheti, the tune pulsates with a throwback indie-rock/pop-rock feel seasoned with plucky bass work and a steamy electric guitar riff. Neon Culture’s head honcho, Prarthana Sen, lends her vocal prowess to the melody and is backed by singer Adrijaa Majumder on this outing.
Imbibing the spirit of Bombay, where the piece was conceived, ‘Cotton Green’ sits next, taking its name from an age-old railway station in Mumbai (now renamed ‘Kalachowki’). Opening with an audio snippet of a local train in motion, the composition combs through light percussive patterns, delicate string segments, and wistful oscillating textures.
‘Aao Gia’ – which means ‘farewell’ or ‘the act of saying goodbye to somebody’ – fittingly concludes the EP. It peels back heavy instrumentation and slots in strummy ukelele notes and temperate synth structures to frame a serene soundscape. Propelled in are dulcet vocals from Adrijaa Majumder and angelic harmonies from Prarthana Sen, Vishruti Bindal (co-founder of Neon Culture), and Tapasi Bhattacharya.
“We decided to crowdfund the EP this time to truly be able to express ourselves as we want to and pay all our collaborators as fairly as we can. And it’s been eye-opening to see the love we still get from our listeners after being inactive for two years now.”
Meanwhile, Sourjyo further elaborated, “We decided to make Dindun more ambitious in terms of sound, and that really reflects in the songs we’ve produced this time. And we still managed to get our ideas across while recording all at home. Our philosophy of making music in-house (literally) is still intact for this one.”
On the heels of this EP release, Dindun has embarked on a multi-city India jaunt dubbed ‘We Are Dindun Tour,’ with stops in Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi, and Kolkata announced thus far. In true Sofar fashion, Dindun was revealed on the day of the show as one of the three artists on the card for a concert at You Do You Hair Studio in Santa Cruz, Mumbai, performing to a capacity crowd, a gentleman marking his 90th birthday and one playful pup, Raya.
A top-notch salon during the day, this venue was morphed into a performance space in the evening, complete with Morga flowers serving as wristbands for attendees, a nod to Dindun’s composition ‘Phul‘ (flower) released in 2022. Opening the evening was singer-songwriter Shubhangii Kedar, who releases music in the Marathi language, followed by Melbourne-based roots/blues act Caisha Sprout.
Sourjyo Sinha was his candid best helming vocal duties, talking about their experience crowdfunding this album, the thought process of his songwriting, working with Rohit remotely, and also swapping mid-set between a guitar he has owned for fourteen years and a ukelele. Flanked by producer Rohit Ganesh on the keys and vocalist Adrijaa Majumder, they coursed through a setlist performing renditions of works old and new.
Closing the concert and in addition to the aforementioned ‘Phul,’ they enlivened the ambiance by giving a hair-raising showcase serving attendees with songs ‘Chandor Tolay Dekha Hoibo,’ ‘Gawain,’ ‘Your Love Makes Me Dance,’ ‘Chimney,’ Tungsten,’ and ‘Aao Gia.’
Find Dindun on: Instagram | Spotify
Editor’s note: The ‘u’ in Dindun has a ‘-‘ symbol above; it will be reflected shortly on our website.
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