Runt, the popular Mumbai-based rock outfit, spearheaded by singer and music producer Siddharth Basrur, is all set to release their fourth single, part of their upcoming album. Smashing Souls, an all-out rock ’n’ roll number, big on guitars, bass and drums is the perfect track for the average rock enthusiast. The song borrows its name from the popular bands The Smashing Pumpkins and Collective Soul with the thematic tone hinting at the tiff between their frontmen. Discussing the track that was produced during the pandemic, Siddharth highlights, “The lyrics are about being the architect of my own creative demise.” Ahead of its release, we chat with the singer known for his projects.
Can you discuss how Runt’s new single, Smashing Souls hints at the feud between The Smashing Pumpkins and Collective Soul?
I’ll tell you about how the song came to be. Smashing Pumpkins is one of my favourite bands. I was, I think, one of the first people to probably book the gig tickets in Bengaluru when it was launched. And I’m really looking forward to it. Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan, he can be quite opinionated. He had this beef with Collective Soul frontman, Ed Roland. Now, I’m a big fan of Collective Soul also.
Especially this album called Disciplined Breakdown, which was my introduction to the band. There’s another song by them called Shine. So, Billy had claimed that it was ripped off from one of their songs. I honestly feel that there is a slight resemblance. Eventually, Billy took them to court and Ed won the case because he produced a demo, which was, I think, in the late ’80s, long before the song that it was apparently copied from — Drown, was released. Though it’s not a jab at this case, I’ve taken inspiration from both the songs for Smashing Souls. Basically, the name Smashing Souls comes from Smashing Pumpkins and Collective Soul.
Could you tell us about the soundscape you finalised for Smashing Souls?
It’s pretty standard rock and roll, man. I’m not going to pretend, saying that I’m bringing something fresh and new to the table because I’m not. I’m very clear about that. I’m bringing what I’m good at, which is rock and roll. It has loud guitars, drums, bass and vocals. That’s it. This is what comes naturally to me. So that’s what the song is about. And that’s what all my songs are about. Very few of them do not follow this approach, like this one song called Home which had a piano piece in it. For this one, I wanted to keep it as raw as possible.
This song is described as self-reflective. Does it share any common themes from the upcoming album that you’e planning to make this single a part of?
There is nothing connecting any song to any song. They’re all random. They’ve all been written all over the place at different times. So, there’s no theme to this album. Usually, there never is to my music. I don’t think I’m the kind of guy who can sit down and write a concept album, you know? A lot of albums tell a story overall, if you weave the lyrics together. But this is not that. I mean, most of my songs are either about conversations I’ve had with people or thoughts that I’ve had or feelings that I’ve experienced. Very few of my songs are actually based on fiction. They don’t really have a story to them. They’re largely words thrown together from a feeling at a particular moment.
Has this newer, less structured approach to your songwriting allowed you greater creative freedom?
Definitely. Because I really started digging into production during 2020 and experimenting with different plug-ins. And, I had a lot of time on my hands during the pandemic. I pretty much mixed and mastered a single that we released in 2020, which was an instrumental. It didn’t even have vocals. Because I couldn’t find the right instrument. I used that time to hone my skills. So, I was able to put out a song that I did everything for, except the video, which was done by our guitarist. We stitched together footage from a YouTube channel about evolution. I learned a lot during that period. Ever since, I’ve, like, been trying to up the game.