Tathagata Bhowmik’s latest EP is dedicated to independent artists writing their own music in India

City-based musician Tathagata Bhowmik believes there exists no better alternative than music to channelise pent-up emotions. Tathagata has been involved with the city soundscape for almost a decade now; doing rounds with solo and dual gigs. After a brief stint in Mumbai, he returned to his hometown three years back with an urge to give a permanent facelift to his originals. After three years of sheer hard work he has come up with his first EP- Heartbreak is a Social Construct- along with artists Nabhoneil Samajdar, Shiladitya Sarkar, Debam Data, Swarnava Sengupta and others from different parts of the country. The album consists of three songs touching base with rock and roll alongside hints of electronica, pop, orchestra, and ambient lo-fi. Here’s what the young performer has to say about his latest release:

What are some of the recurring themes in Heartbreak is a Social Construct?

The songs were written back in 2016 when I used to perform extensively across city spaces. The songs are an extension of my personal experiences. However, there is also a universal message and emotion involved. Each of us goes through periods of emotional upheaval at some point in our lives and I have tried to keep the thoughts relatable. The songs bring out deeply imbibed human emotions in a very simple manner.

What makes the EP unique?

I always try to keep the titles of my song catchy to keep the curiosity quotient afloat. The arrangements include a vast range of orchestral instruments like horns, trumpets, violin, cello, and jazz piano alongside the classic guitar, drums, and piano. Song for Dot has an electronic piano section while the second track Monday Morning at 3 AM ends with a jazz coda that is deliberately disjointed from the song. It lends a completely different identity to the song. The last song, Two Drunken Astronauts is heavily harmonised and has a spacey feel to it.

What’s next on the list?

We are due to release some unique visuals that add a quirk to the already launched audio tracks. The first has been shot over a span of a year where we picked random people to lip-sync to different parts of the song. We have recently launched its trailer. The second one is an animation of two felines sharing a cute love story. The third one will see me enact the entire song in sign language.

Heartbreak is a Social Construct is now streaming on YouTube.