Davesar is an artist who has been making pop-adjacent atmospheric music for a few years now, drawing from a multicultural, multilingual and multinational upbringing as well as an approach that is always grounded in his cultural and musical roots. Artists in his lane tend to lean on these things a lot; the results often being sort of superficial explorations of multiple ideas that don't really have a sense of ‘home’ or zero in on a particular element that often anchors a piece of music. Davesar's new single ‘Sanjiv’ is, thankfully, not like that. It's an intimate and personal song presented with simplicity and delicacy while sounding centred. And how does he accomplish this? Songwriting!

On ‘Sanjiv’, Davesar allows his influences to inform a song instead of dominating it. It’s a tribute and a eulogy of sorts to his late uncle, and him recounting the effect the person had on his life is the centrepiece of everything. The instrumentation consists of some percussion, some (very nice, we might add) guitars and a little ambience for the most part, so it doesn’t get in the way; this is aided a lot by a very, very clear mix. Even the vocals stay well out of the way here, with Davesar using a quiet, almost hushed delivery that keeps as far away from showboating as humanly possible. So, what’s left? The story that the artist is telling. ‘Sanjiv’ goes over well because absolutely nothing is allowed to compromise the quality of the subject matter and lyrical content on display. You as the listener can do naught but focus on the memories Davesar has of his uncle, the admiration he has for him, and his wistful acceptance of his passing. This, then, is personal music done right. You don’t need a bunch of frills if what you have to say is important to you. Something well worth taking note of.