It seems like we haven’t yet made the transition from everyone making singer-songwriter material to everyone making rap and r&b just yet. The simple, relaxing and contemplative sound is still around and thriving, and songs like ‘Leher’, a new single from Mumbai’s Sanjana Devarajan are still keeping the ball in play. At this point, the playbook on what makes a successful attempt at this sort of sound are well known; it’s got to be relatable, it should preferably be instrumentally rather simple, and whatever is there to hear should stand out while being comforting at the same time. Now this sounds like an oversimplification of a genre that lives on honestly and simple beauty, but there’s an argument for it, because ‘Leher’, for example, ticks all these ‘boxes’, and it ends up being a strong, replayable song.

Warm electric guitar (of course) is the backbone of this slow, trundling tune; it’s a great decision because it fills the mix with a ton of, well, warmth and comfort. The song’s mix is also really clean and simple, which is good because it treats the song’s sparse arrangement with care. There are some really nice chords all over the track, and they provide a good foil for Sanjana’s expressive voice. She doesn’t even come close to straining or testing her register or versatility, but her delivery remains strong despite being on the more low-key and quiet side. Percussions consist of a table, and that’s pretty much it. There’s isn’t much to describe on ‘Leher’, and why that is good is that the song is best understood by going and giving it a play. Which you probably should do.