Corner Café Chronicles is at it again, and good for all of us. The four-piece band based out of Mumbai came out with their latest track ‘Homebound’ in February and it’s a real treat to listen to. Their overall sound has been done to death by so many bands over the last decade, including, perhaps most pertinently of all, the band’s upbeat but ultimately comfortable last album ‘Renaissance’. While it showed off great performances and a sound that straddled modern lo-fi and the Red Hot Chili Peppers (which is an interesting proposition in itself), it stayed in a zone that did not often go beyond mild interest. ‘Homebound’ turns it up to 11, and thus does something truly fun, unique and passionate. Finally, a crossover rock release this year that isn’t milquetoast. Bless!

The band cites Alt-J, Mutemath, and Pink Floyd as influences, which is relatively noticeable in their music, and they have a solid base of some sort of marriage of electronic and alt-rock in their sonic palette ever since their second-ever single ‘Gloria’s Kitchen’ back in 2018. While ‘Renaissance’ turned many heads and got a lot of press, it’s fair to say that this new single is their clearest artistic statement to date.

They approach ‘Homebound’ with a sound that they know works for them. Unless you are familiar with the band, you would not expect what the track morphs into about a minute in. What even fans will not expect is just how hard the band leans into that transition. The intro is a regular electronic section; we’ve heard it before - synth arpeggios, steady drums. Chinmay Patkar’s modulated vocals are flowy and dreamy in their demeanour and croon about existential themes in an artist’s life. All this is classic late-night alternative fare, but a third of the tune in, aggressive, heavy guitars kick in and the drums pick up their pace (and perceived volume) - fast, brutal, and badass. The band jumps into thick, upfront grunge textures without a second thought without paying lip service to it, still having electronic embellishments that accentuate. Then things switch to a trippy, proggy atmosphere with remnants of Patkar’s vocals supporting a tapped guitar solo typical of some arena rock gig from a bygone era (well, thanks Eddie, may you RIP). The section almost crashes into a vicious and aggressive end that fades into quiescence.

This is wild stuff, and it takes all the risks that Corner Café Chronicles perhaps always knew their music should take. The difference this time is that they actually took them. What results is a fantastic track.