Sonic shifts in the world of rock have always been some of the more notable in popular music culture, especially since the turn of the millennium; we had rap-rock for a hot minute, then rootsy indie rock, noise-rock, classic arena-rock, a random shoegaze phase and then what one would call the prog-metal renaissance all in the span of less than a decade. Listening habits and interests were changing all the time, and somewhere in the middle of the 2010s, we got perhaps the most jarring shift of them all. Yes, sure, maybe it all started with that one Audiotree Live performance CHON did or it didn’t, but the roadmap of the next generation was clear.

There were influences from 2000s math-rock and prog of the era, but this period of rock music sounded different. Guitarists were playing super-clean tones, sometimes putting their amps just on the edge of a driven sound. They were also taking cues from pop, hip-hop and the more straightforward grooves of the time. While glorious, this eventually got consumed by the maximalist approach to production we find today, but Melthym, a 3-piece band from Greater Noida, is keeping it going. And how!

This band has only released three singles so far (starting end of last year), but they’ve already shown the quality of writing in their bag. ‘Sunny Days’, has almost everything you would want to hear from this sub-genre; a tasty shuffle, noodle-y lead playing, and a very pleasant listen that almost hides just how hard all the musicians involved are working. There’s even a wonderful, mildly jazzy saxophone in the mix for added spice. ‘Dusky’ is a bit more chord-based, but this is a track where the bass playing really shines, and there’s enough casual soloing to let you know that this band has talent. Most recently, you will find the track ‘You Won’t Get It’, which is the most free-flowing and relaxed tune of the three. This has the very distinct vibe of sounding like a jam that was subsequently written out into a song; there’s an airy, ‘present’ nature to the parts with almost constant changes. It’s good music.

Of course, one can tell Melthym is relatively new. They aren’t yet as razor-sharp and tight as the artists and bands they draw their influences from (certain sections of their releases are a bit too sloppy for most tastes), but they’ve pretty much nailed everything else out of the gate. Expect to see some very cool music coming out from this trio very soon.