In 2019, Murphy’s Paradox was a genuinely exciting new rock band out of Kolkata. With a mixture of experienced musicianship, awesome writing and wonderfully catchy songs, they were on every rock listener’s radar as an act to watch out for. Then, the next year, they just disappeared; a more culturally ruthless follower of Indian indie would dismiss this as just another sign of a scene moving towards more ‘current’ sounds and sensibilities. Well, now they’re back with ‘Saba And Her Cat Named Grey’, a single that completely disproves that theory.

As it turns out, the band was having line-up roadblocks and considered giving up entirely until recently pulling off a comeback akin to that scene in the movie Snatch (which features an excellent Oasis song, but let’s not overdo the reunion shtick). Now, they have Durjoy Choudhury on frontman duties, Premjit Dutta on drums and Budhaprabha Roy doing bass. And on this new single, they sound fantastic. ‘Saba And Her Cat Named Grey’ is a highly enjoyable 6/8 mellow rocker.

Notable aspects of this one are the production (recording engineer is Ankit Gandhi Lall, mixed by Deepank Sheth, mastered by Tony 'Jack the Bear' Mantz), wonderfully tasteful playing, and the band’s approach to being a three-piece. The overall sound is quieter and warmer than you would be used to, which is partly why it sounds more intimate and comforting than normal. All three members sound really good on this recording, and it seems like they greatly enjoy each other’s musical company; to everyone starting out on the journey of being in a band, this is why it’s nice to fundamentally be sociable with your fellow musicians. And finally, Murphy’s Paradox subverts three-piece rock expectations. It is often true that a trio in the rock world is loud, raucous, in-your-face and uses the extra space in a leaner mix to crank the absolute hell of everything. And that is an amazing experience, but this one’s different.

‘Saba And Her Cat Named Grey’ sees a band restrained; a band allowing themselves to relax and have fun. And while it’s nowhere near heavy, this song is a truly pleasant and endlessly re-listenable listen. Good song. Clap away.