Jabalpur-born and Delhi-based, Rushabh Roymon is a singer-songwriter whose new single ‘Modern Love And Expiration Dates’ serves as a clear example of an argument all music fans have often; Where is the line between inspiration and duplication? His song definitely falls on the ‘inspiration’ side of the spectrum, but take one listen to this rather wonderful tune and you will see why this might be a contentious issue for you. Rushabh himself makes no bones about this, stating his influences; The Strokes and a bit of Green Day. But does his personality come through?

The answer is yes, but not in a way that is obvious. What you can see here is a musician ‘paying tribute’ through something he enjoys making. The lyrics are poetic is a way, and his absolute dedication to giving us his voice through his idols is very commendable. This obviously results in some lovely moments; the melody of the hook is duplicated on the guitar. The chords are wonderful, the production is all class, and there’s a nuance to the writing that absolutely stands out. In fact, there’s nothing at all to complain about with this tune. Guitars are great, the groove is great, the little refrain to end the tune is great. But it leaves a lingering thought; is this Rushabh’s greatest song in the world? Or is it just a tribute?

There’s a fine line to this, and in terms of sonics, Rushabh ends up on the ‘tribute’ side a lot. This sounds like a lovely Strokes song that someone else made (and that’s a compliment to Rushabh’s talent), and that’s how it would be, if not for his earnest vocal delivery. He has a retro vibe to his voice that separates him and his subject matter from what he loves (considering Julian Casablancas has a vibe of- never mind). This is where the old argument flares up again; is this him or what he is influenced by? It’s hard to tell, but you can have a bunch of repeat listens to figure that out. 'Modern Love And Expiration Dates' is a great song.