The number of times the rock of the 2000s has been buried under another musical movement but somehow survives to eventually be back in the conversation should tell you something. It’s a strange genre in terms of the public discourse that surrounds it; everyone calls it corny and says it hasn’t aged well, and then everyone goes and listens to it anyway. It might be nostalgia, or the plateau-ing of other genres, or the pure staying power of a loud, accessible and relatable rock sound; either way, people are still making this kind of music; take Hyderabad artist Peekay’s single ‘Horizon’, for example. And it still sounds… great! Like, what!?

All justifications aside, you still have to nail the vibe to get this type of song right, and Peekay absolutely does. The groove rips, there’s tons of space in the mix to allow a mean bass tone and nice modulated guitar stuff (it’s Keshav Dhar on production, obviously), and Peekay sings with the appropriate mix of softness and power that made us all love this sound in the first place. ‘Horizon’ is one of those songs that will satisfy everyone it’s intended for. If you like a short solo, a pseudo-breakdown, a very sing-able chorus and one of those tunes you can play a bunch of times in a row, this one is for you. If you think this sound is lame as hell, you’re going to enjoy disliking this one. And if, well, you’re the kind of person that likes the sound of 2007 but updated to modern songwriting standards, save this one immediately.