Finding the ‘sound’ of a band is an organic process," says Rohan Mazumdar, vocalist of the Mumbai-based band The Colour Compound, who released their second album From Where We Stand recently. "You go through the motions and suddenly, one day, it happens."
Indie gold:(From left) Aditya Ashok, Rohan Mazumdar, Adil Kurwa and Bradley Tellis form The Colour Compound.
For this band, it "happened" when they were working on their song Turn Back Time, which is on the new album. "Our first EP (Sincerely Yours) was a bunch of songs belonging to different genres. Turn Back Time was a turning point."
Singing a catchy tune
The band, which has been around since 2008, is made up of Mazumdar (29), Bradley Tellis (26) on electric guitar and vocals, Adil Kurwa (25) on bass and Aditya Ashok (25) on drums. They sing and write in English, without making a mess of things, a rare feat for India’s indie bands. “No one is asking us to throw a tabla in,” says Mazumdar.
Their sound could be described as a mix of pop and rock’n’roll. “All our influences have affected this album, and so it’s a mix of everything,” explains bassist Adil Kurwa. Their influences include The Beatles, Incubus and John Mayer, but their sound is more inspiring than “inspired”.
The album takes you on an easy listening ride – Turn Back Time is all about how life was different way back when, You Make Me Me about how two people in love don’t need to agree all the time and Porcelain People is about folks who aren’t what they seem.
It’s good songwriting packaged in catchy melodies. “That’s all you need to make it,” says Tellis. “Give a good quality product, and then be smart about marketing it.” Being smart means “not networking too much, but not too less” and also releasing it on the right forums like iTunes.
The band wrote, produced and recorded the album without the help of a record company. “We recorded at studios of our friends. We set a budget and we did the best we could in that. We didn’t compromise,” says Mazumdar.
Singing a catchy tune
The band, which has been around since 2008, is made up of Mazumdar (29), Bradley Tellis (26) on electric guitar and vocals, Adil Kurwa (25) on bass and Aditya Ashok (25) on drums. They sing and write in English, without making a mess of things, a rare feat for India’s indie bands. “No one is asking us to throw a tabla in,” says Mazumdar.
Their sound could be described as a mix of pop and rock’n’roll. “All our influences have affected this album, and so it’s a mix of everything,” explains bassist Adil Kurwa. Their influences include The Beatles, Incubus and John Mayer, but their sound is more inspiring than “inspired”.
The album takes you on an easy listening ride – Turn Back Time is all about how life was different way back when, You Make Me Me about how two people in love don’t need to agree all the time and Porcelain People is about folks who aren’t what they seem.
It’s good songwriting packaged in catchy melodies. “That’s all you need to make it,” says Tellis. “Give a good quality product, and then be smart about marketing it.” Being smart means “not networking too much, but not too less” and also releasing it on the right forums like iTunes.
The band wrote, produced and recorded the album without the help of a record company. “We recorded at studios of our friends. We set a budget and we did the best we could in that. We didn’t compromise,” says Mazumdar.
Keeping it real
The plan now is to play consistently on the indie scene here, then gig abroad. But aren’t Indian musicians who make it internationally still the fusion variety?
“No! I was in Australia and I jammed with musicians there. In the end, it’s all just about music,” says Mazumdar. They are ambitious and modest at the same time. They want a “packed house at Madison Square Park, of course,” says Mazumdar. But for right now, as Tellis sums it up, “It’s about playing our music and making a living out of it.”
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From HT Brunch, March 23
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