Motherjane, India’s pioneers of Indo-ethnic rock is coming out with a new single after laying dormant for almost three years. Their last single, Clayplay ushered the band into a more modern sound where they drastically changed their sonic-playscape which predominantly had more guitar leads and “carnatic”-laced melodies. The band turns 22 this year. John Thomas, drummer and one of the original founding members of Motherjane talks about their new single Namaste and the band's plans for the future. They take influences from bands like Korn and other post-rock and prog-metal bands.
“Namaste is the best way of saying ‘I accept you or I’ve recognised your effort.’ Namaste is going to be a song that will be about acceptance,” says John. Motherjane has been moving away from the darker undertones that its previous albums portrayed, to a more brighter post-rock sound. The lyrics for the song are written by artist Smitha Menon, John’s wife.
Clayplay was the single that changed the face of the band. The song talked about the monotonic nature of corporate life. The song introduced the bands’ new direction in their sound. This may have allowed Motherjane to expand their fanbase.
The song, Namaste, was conceived two years ago. But due to technical glitches and constant line-up changes, the single was further delayed. “It is satisfying to start working again, and Motherjane is about to be active as ever,” says John. The artwork for the new single will be done by Paul Thomas who was also incharge of Motherjanes’ logo and previous albums. The production of the single will be handled by ex-member of the band and Avial’s guitarist, Rex Vijayan.
Twenty-two years after it was born, Motherjane still remains relevant. John says “It has been a good ride. We never thought that the band would go big. We were in for the music; from the start to the finish.”
They are currently planning a four-act tour with artistes like Baiju Dharmajan (Baiju Dharmajan Syndicate) and Rishabh Seen (who plays Sitar Metal). John says the band will be coming out with an EP very soon. “The new album will probably be called ‘Golden Age of Mankind’. It’ll obviously be very different from our last two albums and the themes we’ll tackle with be based around mankind; rooting in metaphysical elements. And that’s all I can say at this point”.
Their new single Namaste will be released on the May 7.
Motherjane is: John Thomas (Drums), Clyde Rozario (Bass) and Vivek Thomas (Vocals)