Binglebog is a solo project based out of Bangalore, and ‘God Is A Guitarist’ is his first EP. He’s an anonymous entity whose identity has spiritual connections with Vikram Seth’s ‘Frog And The Nightingale’, and the three songs in this release get rid of something that plagues a lot of genre-bound material – context. This is music free from restrictions and labels, and so there is a spirit of freedom you can’t ignore. Of course, the artist’s anonymity is cool, but it doesn’t really do anything to push the quality of music on this. That, it does on its own.

The three tracks on this release sound a bit different from one another, which speaks to the artist’s willingness to build a release without sticking to one theme (at least, in mood). ‘Same People (Different Drugs)’ is something of an upbeat indie tune a la late 2000s; there’s a simple rhythm, some very low-key singing (that’s literal, by the way; Binglebog seems to love using the lower part of his register) and a bit of a melancholic tinge to it. In fact, it turns out over the course of the EP that this bit of sadness is the common thread between the songs here. But the cute little solo is very endearing and the track’s a good time. The title track is a much more muted, introverted affair. There’s much more of an ‘indie ballad’ vibe to this one, and the presentation is right on point. The chords behind the simple refrain is wistful, the vocals half-murmured… this song will do great at a Sofar gig in a suitably aesthetic location. The EP ends with the standout ‘Pink Flashes’. Featuring Radiobred, this song is completely different from the other two, some sort of synthpop-backed song with bits of funky guitar and some really old-school disco vocal touches. It does really come out of absolutely nowhere, but it does show how free the EP is.

In a sense, that does seem to be the whole point of ‘God Is A Guitarist’ (as much of a crime as it is to put words in other people’s mouths). There’s a bit of sorrow on here, sure, but there’s also this almost childlike sense of exploration to the sound. Having that mindset of freedom and “Why not?” is a pretty rare trait in modern indie artists, and hearing this EP would make you think Binglebog has it in spades.

Listen here.