From jam session to anthem: The Songsmiths unveil long-awaited track Coming Home

What began as a simple jam between friends has today become The Songsmiths’ most personal release yet — Coming Home. The city-based band’s new track has been a long time in the making — 12 years, to be exact. Frontman Saikat Basu remembers how it all began, saying “Avinash, our guitar player, came up with a riff. He was just noodling on his guitar and it caught my attention. I said, ‘Hey, come on, this is nice, let’s jam on it.’”

Delays, rewrites, and unwavering vision shape The Songsmiths’ most personal track yet, blending nostalgia with artistic integrity

Around the same time, a friend wrote a poem after a road trip the group had taken together. Titled I Write to My Dreams, it struck a chord with Saikat. After a few tweaks, weeks later, Coming Home was fully shaped and quickly became a crowd favourite at their live shows.

For Saikat, Coming Home is a tribute to Hyderabad — the city that shaped him and the band. “I come from Kolkata, but I’ve spent half my life in Hyderabad. My work doesn’t just represent me — it represents all the musicians of Hyderabad,” he shares.

But releasing it would take far longer than writing it. Although the band started recording the track in 2019, the pandemic brought everything to a standstill. “Whenever we visited the song after a few months, we disliked something we had done,” Saikat says, adding, “We re-recorded the guitar and bass again and again. We did vocal takes at least two or three times.” The keyboard work, handled by their friend Joy Solomon, also kept evolving as the band grew creatively.

Still, Saikat believes the delay had purpose. “Nothing happens before the right time. Destiny was preparing us to deliver better,” he shares. For The Songsmiths, the goal has always been to improve with every piece of music they put out. As musicians, the band is constantly evolving. The music video for Coming Home reflects the same care. Though the song has a road-trip feel, Saikat wanted the visual to go deeper. Working with a filmmaker and cinematographer, he built a narrative around everyday emotions and responsibilities.

As the film grew longer, some advised the band to shorten it for social media. Saikat refused. “If I follow the algorithm, my art is not honest,” he reasons. “I’ve always believed the audience is very intelligent. People will consume art if it is served properly.”

Coming Home is streaming on all major platforms.

Email: anshula.u@newindianexpress.com

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