A century ago, around 2005, a genre called ‘indie’ rose to prominence; the first of many peaks it would have over the next decade or so. It consisted mainly of an emotional vocal delivery and a sparse arrangement. Some acoustic guitars, barely any drums and lyrics that were often full of emotion, be it woe or joy. While it painted itself with relatively broad strokes sonically, it was evocative and said exactly what it wanted to say; this made the ‘genre’ captivating to many a young listener at the time that wanted a break from both manufactured pop and overly complicated progressive metal. It was a time of overly emotional Orkut posts and a quiet rebellion against complication, and this is the vibe Nagpur’s Cinnamon Cigars live in on their song ‘If The Night Is Dark’. Contexts change, but sounds often do not.

It's fair to say that the song fulfills everything a fan of the genre one would want, from simple but front-and-centre chords to an equally simple but arresting vocal. However, it’s important to note the tone of the tune. Shubham Kundu and Geetika Chatterjee (for those are their names) sing an uncomplicated love song with conviction, and that’s what gives the three minutes of music here its legs. The groove is simple, the guitars are clean and the writing is safe. But there’s sincerity to be experienced, which is important. This is an easy song to listen to on a commute to work or when you have a few minutes to do nothing. Where it does work is in the exact situation Cinnamon Cigars describe, which is that of genuine feeling. That’s where the layered vocals, the slow but well-done fade out and the stark simplicity of the song work. And ‘If The Night Is Dark’ works rather well.