When we ask Run! It’s the Kid vocalist/guitarist Shantanu Pandit what might be the best setting for the Delhi-based waltz/alt rock band’s debut full-length album, he says, “A room full of depressed people. A funeral could work out pretty good as well, I guess.” That’s a bit odd considering the band’s last gig was in the picturesque Ziro valley in Arunachal Pradesh, as part of Ziro Festival of Music in September.

Interestingly, while the likes of Delhi singer-songwriter Prateek Kuhad has been the perfect match for the day stage at Ziro last year, Run! It’s the Kid performed on the mainstage in the evening. Keyboardist/vocalist Dhruv Bhola, who is also part of Kuhad’s band, says, “We had an epic time playing there. It's definitely a must-attend festival. We won't go so far as to say it’s the best setting for our music, but it definitely is one of the better gigs we've played.” The band played one of their first gigs in a similar setting, though – at Escape Festival in Naukuchiatal, Uttarakhand in 2013. Originally comprising just Pandit, a solo singer-songwriter who has released his own EP, and Bhola, the band recruited drummer Bhairav Gupta and bassist Danik Ghosh back in 2013 and recorded their first single ‘Move Over’.

Fast forward to two years later, and they’re nearly ready with their debut 10-track self-titled album, due early next year on Pagal Haina Records. Bhola says, “We started out as somewhat indie-folk but we've moved towards slightly heavier though still waltzy music.” While ‘Move Over’ hasn’t made the cut, one of their earlier songs, ‘Aimless Quest’ is part of the album, recorded by Miti Adhikari at his Blooperhouse Studios in Kolkata earlier this year. Pandit told us, “It was killer. Miti's the man. we tracked the album in seven days.” Other songs to look out for include ‘Forgetting How to Swim’, the slow dance-friendly ‘Great Big Scare’ that gets trippier by the end, the melody-led ‘One Time’ and the sparse ‘Big Parachute’, all of which average at the five-minute mark.

With the album due between January and February 2016, the band says they have had no problems despite their other commitments, from solo projects to working with other artists in Delhi. Bhola says, “We're all full time musicians and so we each do our own thing apart from Run! It’s the Kid. But for the most part, our band dynamic is pretty good, and so we've been able to hold it together.” 

Listen to 'Love We're Made from Porcelain'