Doted on and endeared for infusing folk-pop mastery into indie and alternative rock, Kochi-based band, When Chai Met Toast (WCMT) will be playing an entirely new song at their upcoming gig in the city this Saturday, which band member, Achyuth Jaigopal confirms, is not from their forthcoming EP they recorded last year in the UK. “It’s our first show in Hyderabad this year and probably the last one for this season in the city. After that, we have a few shows lined up in India and then we are heading to the UK and the US for tours,” he tells us over a Zoom conversation. Ashwin Gopakumar sings for the quartet, which also includes Achyuth on guitar and banjo, Palee Francis on keyboards, and Sailesh Pai on drums.
Talking more about the ‘fun’ set, Achyuth says, “There will be a mix of older material – from our When We Feel Young album – pretty much all our songs and maybe a new one.” The band’s music is predicated on English lyrics, but its flamboyance goes further than that. The group also infuses a range of other languages, such as Hindi and Tamil in their artistry, granting their tunes additional depth and character.
Since 2016, the collective has been making an exponential incline through animated live concerts that endeared them to the populace. The rhythm and pulse of myriad musical genres including metal mingled with the members’ individual preferences in the art form – all have come together in their soul-stirring and poignant refrains. “We always wanted to create our own music that we can be proud of, maybe that serves as a binding factor for us,” Achyuth tells us.
Referring to the release of the first song of eponymous album, When We Feel Young – whose soft acoustic guitar and banjo chimes flow the balminess of spring in wintry silences – Palee tells us that they are ever-evolving to become increasingly familiar to all the listeners of Indian indie music. No wonder, their sensitivity is seamlessly reflected throughout their pieces. “For the album, When We Feel Young, we made a couple of versions for each sound so we know what’s best for the music and the lyrics. We try to incorporate indie elements. For example, we give an Indian aesthetic to the banjo, which is a Western instrument,” he adds.
While there is no formulaic creative process for the band, most of their songs are written during breaks from sound checks. Their ideas for existent and upcoming pieces are usually sparked off before taking the stage and getting an ideal ‘buffer time’ when the sound engineer is busy fine-tuning the set. When the members come up with newer melodies during that time, they record them as WhatsApp voice notes. The band has reached equilibrium now. “Sound checks are an ideal time for us to jam around in the brief time,” Sailesh smiles, adding, “We have the option on stage wherein all of our instruments are connected so we get to jam around and record the idea instantly before developing it to a proper song if it has the potential of being one.” Sailesh tells us, “There is nothing like a forced process. We try out whatever comes to us,” while Achyuth adds, “At this point, we all agree with what we like and what we don’t. Over the years, we have come to understand each others’ interests and musicality. When something clicks, we decide whether it has the potential to be a good song.”
Performing in Hyderabad on February 25.
E-mail: chokita@newindianexpress.com
Twitter: @PaulChokita