We’ve spent enough time in India’s indie scene to see rock in its many forms come and go. There have been decades that dominated by the genre, but it is very obvious that our current one isn’t one of them. We are listening to music that has weight; music that tells stories far beyond simple emotion. But there are a few artists that are trying to fly the flag of simple, catchy music that focuses on that dreaded term, “feel-good”. Well, Mayank Arya, a Mumbai-based songwriter, makes his case for this paradigm on his sunny single ‘Safar’. And it isn’t a surprise that it still works.

‘Safar’ fulfills everything on the indie rock checklist, and that is its biggest asset. It’s not particularly easy to do. Strong hook, simple but catchy melody, great (incredibly solid) structure; Mayank pulls it all off. The production is fantastic. He dips into 2000s pop-rock when he needs to, filling his mix with lovely little snatches of guitar and colour. He uses a strong groove throughout and plays off it. And of course, just like a lot of great pop music, the true star of the track is the bass. It provides all the body and personality needed to push the track into play-again territory. There are also a bunch of small touches that aid this; a bit of half-time here, some keys there. ‘Safar’ is pop done right in many ways; taking a bunch of elements people like and using them in the right ways. It is well worth a guilty-pleasure listen, and it’s good to boot.