Now that the Indian indie scene is a bit more diverse in sound and listeners than, say, ten years ago, it’s a bit easier today to gauge things like effort and feeling in a piece of music that comes out of it. There’s now some context for the average listener, so it’s possible to tell when an artist is phoning it in; this is much more straightforward in ‘the West’, where these forms of music have been established for decades; just listen to the last Black Eyed Peas album (actually, don’t if you value your sanity).

Nowhere is this more apparent than simple guitar-based pop music, because the building blocks are so ‘fundamental’; not many tricks to hide behind. That being said, Bengaluru/Delhi band All That Native are most definitely not phoning it in on their single ‘Snowflake Suicide’, a song that treats simplicity with deliberation and respect.

There are only a few main elements to this song, so we can look at each one with an amount of focus. The guitars (acoustic and electric) are played nicely and layered well. You can heard the rhythmic ‘hits’ of the acoustic peeking out from the lead melody on top. This becomes more apparent on the pre-chorus (which emphasizes groove) and the choruses (which emphasize atmosphere). The bass, as is the case when done right, is quietly the star of the tune; once you pick it out, it’s pretty difficult to listen to anything else. There’s an understated bit of drums in the song’s last third which don’t really have a full-on backbeat, so they still keep the arrangement light. There are a few embellishments and guitar layers at certain moments, but it’s fair to say that all the components of this song are well-executed.

But, of course, what brings all of it together is the writing. All That Native fare well here. The main guitar melody is a earworm, the grooves are infectious, and the vocals are in that sweet spot between a croon and that annoying whispery thing lots of indie-pop artists do these days; here, it’s quiet while being clear. ‘Snowflake Suicide’ does justice to its subject matter and its sound by keeping things simple, and focusing on getting them just right. Which is not as easy as it seems. Listen away.