Sure, the slow and vibe-filled ‘Rains Of July’ is the first released track from The Illegal Project, the Kolkata singer-songwriter duo, but they have been making music for a couple of years now. It is therefore not incredibly surprising that their sound has a security and a polish that comes with time and a little experience. ‘Rains Of July’ has elements of synthpop, synthwave and so on, but it doesn’t have the burnished and glossy film that a lot of music from those places does. They choose to go the more textural route, and the song is possibly better for it.

There are slow and nocturnal mechanical grooves on show here, but it isn’t the focus of the piece. The concept of music and rain (which is the nexus of the song) has been explored a lot through the years, of course; its modern connotation results in a feel that is more rounded with a bit of melancholy thrown in. To an extent, those ideas combined with the instrumental palate The Illegal Project uses is what makes the song stand on its own two (damp but happy) feet. The quiet drum loop and keyboards (choirs and synths seem to be the flavour of the genre currently more so than ever) that anchor its first half are well executed and have a pleasantly ‘grey’ vibe to them. Vocal performances, while a bit vanilla, stay in the same comforting space all the way through. The upshift in volume and groove that takes the song to its atmospheric last chorus are equally welcome with its helpings of old-school synth tones and the aforementioned pounding drums (shout out to two elements here, the almost clav-like acoustic guitars that are back in the mix but sound great, and electronic artist Dreamhour, whose mastering really does something for the song). ‘Rains Of July’ is actually six and a half minutes long, but its sensible writing and overall contemplative stylings make it worth your time. The Illegal Project has an album coming out soon, and even though this isn’t said to be representative of its sound, the quality of the material shines through.