Kochi artist Bindu Anuradhan has honed her craft for a fair while (doubtless), but she takes her brand of pop songwriting to an exciting place with her new single ‘Running Away’. There are many layers to this tune, of course, but what wins out here is the stunning production. One could very convincingly argue that the advent of a new, more vulnerable form of pop (thank you Billie Eilish) has resulted in what is now the status quo; sparse production, mumble-laden vocals and an overall sense of loss. This track does that and so much more.

It's not to say that Bindu doesn’t diligently follow this blueprint. Her vocals are hushed as if she’s singing in a church at night, and when she adds harmonies, it’s phenomenal. What really takes it over the line is the production value. Dissonant synths go up against the otherwise ethereal presentation in an almost grating fashion, and it’s oh-so fresh. The hooks have an aggressive, almost toxic edge to them that’s endlessly entertaining. The chorus that pops in at the last minute brings it some absolutely huge (in context) synths and strings that almost make your head spin. The sounds that preclude it are delightfully dark. Pulling this off is no joke, and Bindu and co. make it seem easy. ‘Running Away’, besides its notably seamless switches between languages (there are Tamil and English lyrics here without the listener noticing) is capturing this vibe and making it easy to listen to. That, at the very least, has been executed flawlessly.