{"id":37166,"date":"2023-01-30T20:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-01-30T14:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ticketfairy.com\/word\/?p=37166"},"modified":"2023-01-30T16:05:00","modified_gmt":"2023-01-30T10:35:00","slug":"manas-jha-releases-his-new-ep-freedom-or-love","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ticketfairy.com\/word\/2023\/01\/30\/manas-jha-releases-his-new-ep-freedom-or-love\/","title":{"rendered":"Manas Jha Releases His New EP ‘Freedom or Love’"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We talk to singer\/songwriter Manas Jha following the release of his EP ‘Freedom or Love,’ featuring Jai Row Kavi, Sidd Coutto, Dhruv Visvanath, and more!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mumbai-born and previously New York-based singer-songwriter Manas Jha, a mainstay of the Indian indie music scene, presents yet another impressive and diverse story in his latest EP, \u2018Freedom of Love.’ Released on January 27, the EP discusses several stages of a dysfunctional relationship as well as the constant theme of staying committed or breaking free. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four-track EP features a stellar line-up of musicians, including productions from Sidd Coutto, Dhruv Visvanath, Raag Sethi and Warren Mendonsa. They are joined by drummer Jai Row Kavi, who also contributed to Jha’s\u00a0\u2018Trifecta\u2019<\/a>\u00a0EP in 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

‘Abandon (reprise)’ kicks off \u2018Freedom of Love,’ produced by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Sidd Coutto, which speaks of a relationship that begins as reckless young love. The second track ‘Broken Bangles’\u00a0<\/em>is produced by guitarist Warren Mendonsa and features his bandmate from Blackstratblues, Jai Row Kavi, on the drums. It leans on the theme of disagreements and fights in relationships that “seem to end in a mutual withdrawal.”\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You May Also Like: Listen to Manas Jha\u2019s New EP \u2018Trifecta\u2019<\/a><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
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\u2018Freedom of Love’ Artwork<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This is followed by ‘Mend your Ways,’ wherein the endlessly repeating cycle of fights has taken a toll on the couple’s mental health. The track is produced by producer, audio engineer, and guitarist Raag Sethi. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Concluding the EP is ‘Decay (redux)’ produced by Dhruv Visvanath, featuring his signature slap-style guitar. The three-minute and twenty-seven-second song delves into the years-long dysfunction in the relationship that is now clear to see, no more fogged by fear and insecurity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Days before the release of \u2018Freedom of Love,’ we sat with Manas Jha to get his thoughts on working with like-minded musicians, his vision behind the EP, marrying art forms of dance and music, operating a tech job, and more!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TFword: How do you decide who you want to work with on a particular piece of music or EP, and why do you find it important to work with amazing musicians like those seen on Freedom or Love?<\/strong>
Manas Jha<\/strong>: I\u2019m a big indie fan. I have more than a few favorite musicians, so it\u2019s a rather long list of folks I\u2019d love to work with. I find it’s important to work with people who are of the same mindset. And give them the space to be their creative best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For this EP, the collaborations started with Sidd Coutto. I grew up listening to Zero and have been a fan of his work since, on everything from Tough on Tobacco to Ankur and the Ghalat Family. I reached out to him to reprise one of my older songs \u2013 Abandon \u2013 for this EP. The song dates back 18 years. At the time, as a college band, we\u2019d play it as straight punk rock. But when I released it in 2019 as part of the Reimagined<\/em> EP, we took a mellow electro approach. Alas, I always missed the raw energy of thumping guitars, drums, and bass. And with Sidd\u2019s help, I was able to bring it back with a matured sonic arrangement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/Cn_JeTCobpS\/\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Next up were Warren Mendonsa and Jai Row Kavi. I\u2019d already worked with these guys on a prior song \u2013 Liberate (off my 2021 release \u2013 Trifecta<\/em> EP), but that had a loud, aggressive sound. This time around, I was looking for soft rock with Broken Bangles. And I’m glad that they were able to tone it down and help me realize it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the third song, Mend Your Ways, I reached out to Raag Sethi. I\u2019ve been a fan of his work on everything from Heatsink to Compass Box Live Sessions. Of all the songs on the EP, I\u2019d say, this one is the most different from its acoustic demo. Raag fully re-arranged the song and \u201cjazzified\u201d it. The nuanced performances by multiple artists complement the complex lyrical theme of the song.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the fourth and final song, I reached out to Dhruv Visvanath. I got introduced to his music through the 2015 album Orion \u2013 the use of percussive acoustic guitar to tell a story has always stayed with me. I reached out to him for Decay, originally off my 2016 release \u2013 The Reimagined EP. At the time, the song was written in a band arrangement with distortion guitars, Carnatic mandolin, and drums. I wanted to strip out all of those elements and lay bare the acoustic guitars and vocals. Dhruv was fully onboard with the vision and layered multiple acoustic guitar tracks to support the emotional depth of the song.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TF: Through all your releases, you’ve spoken about very visceral emotions and people. How did this full-concept EP come about, and what was the inspiration behind talking about relationships?<\/strong>
Manas: <\/strong>Each song on the EP talks about a different phase in a dysfunctional relationship and the ever-evolving dilemma to either stay committed or break free. The inspiration for this EP is deeply personal. My wife \u2013 Preeti Malik \u2013 and I have been in a relationship for over 18 years now \u2013 since we were in high school. We\u2019ve seen our share of ups and downs through friendship, marriage, and now, parenthood. We\u2019ve been fortunate to have the counsel of parents, close friends, and even therapists along our journey together. Through all these years, we\u2019ve managed to stay committed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, over all these years, we\u2019ve seen many other relationships around us end \u2013 some as breakup, some in divorce, and others through bitter legal battles over kids. The songs are a collection of these experiences \u2013 some our own and others from family and friends. The EP artwork depicts this struggle visually. You see a woman fighting restraints on her journey toward the light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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