Mumbai-Pune duo Max Kate and Xeede have been killing it over the last year or two. Their body of work has mushroomed into a bunch of EPs and singles across quite a few genres. This new single ‘Born Again’ goes into last decade’s melodramatic pop, complete with a little uplifting speech at the top of the song. This isn’t some huge left turn given what a lot of other artists are doing with their approach (much the same). This one does bring those vibes back with force; anyone who shipped TV characters and watched compilations of the same (if this sounds like Greek and Latin to you, be happy you missed out) would enjoy this immensely. That’s a lot of people, though.

There’s a very familiar blueprint to this kind of thing. The chords alone… Anytime they’re played on a piano, they take you to the same place. ‘The Scientist’ did this; that sort of bittersweet romantic feeling. There’s warm acoustic guitar and then even warmer electric guitars behind that. The vocals are also delivered in a layered, soft style that fits the bill quite exactly. It’s also worth mentioning that Max and Xeede dial all this up to 11 with some big, big synths and big sounds. This does what you’d think, which is bring some warm fuzzies if you’re from this time. Now, of course, if you’re not, then well, it’s a sweet, positive pop song that would be good before an exam or a job interview. It’s also a good way to indulge in the purer, more innocent feeling you once felt before our world started to go quickly down the drain. Those are good memories, and ‘Born Again’ is a good reminder of them.