We’ve come to expect inch-perfect debuts from young artists these days; the era of the DAW and Youtube tutorials has given many talented people tools to put together something that sounds great in their bedroom (while overheating their laptops). There’s music coming out today that sounds so fully realized that it’s a shock to many who find out it’s the first thing some artists put out (and not their tenth release). Every coin has two sides to it, of course; the other side here is that we often don’t get to see a musician try out a bunch of stuff, get some right, get some wrong, and then finally land on their sound. There is always something to hearing someone experiment in front of us in real-time, trying to find their identity. Delhi singer-songwriter Ratrodek’s first single ‘Chains Of Sorrow’ is exactly that.

Ratrodek lists everyone from Ed Sheeran to RHCP to Juice WRLD as influences; he seems to be channelling all of them (and more) on this song. The list of sonic elements that sprint alongside each other is worthy of its own listicle. There’s the somber subject matter of racial discrimination in the US (where he currently is). There’s the hook, which is as sugary-sweet as pop-rock can get. On either side of that, you have alt-rock verses that are pretty great; there’s restraint in the writing and some real nice instrumentation (guitars and vocal layering, mainly). In the middle of the two is a big lead guitar section that screams like it’s in an arena-rock song. Then there’s a bridge is straight out of 2010s pop radio that ends up actually being an outro. There’s so much happening here that it’s difficult to pinpoint where this song exactly is. Maybe that is exactly Ratrodek’s intention with ‘Chains Of Sorrow’, which is to wear every inspiration he has on his sleeve and try everything out, and that's commendable. It results in a tune that’s roughly stitched together, but you’ll definitely find something in here you like. You have a lot to choose from.