Hasan Baldiwala is based in Mumbai and ‘Whatever’ is his debut single. It is unashamedly in the camp that so many singer-songwriters have been pitching their tents in for many, many years now - emotionally resonant, slow-dance-able tunes with acoustic guitars and hummable melodies being the stars of the show. This particular flavour of pop has legs like you wouldn’t believe; listeners are still finding emotional gratification and listening pleasure in a sonic space that has remained virtually unchanged for decades. Well, if you are one of those people, you can add this single to your saddest playlists right away.

It seems like the only real ground rules at this point on a road so well-travelled are to stick to the basics and not engage in experimentation without full commitment. Hasan stays away from any flights of fancy, which is perhaps to the song’s detriment at times; however, he balances this by doing the writing and performances as well as possible. There are some very, very catchy vocal melodies on this tune (at some points, Hasan dials up the emotional quotient rather dramatically), and extra instrumentation in the form of a guitar solo does make a welcome appearance in the last third. Judiciously used layered vocals and keys further prevent what is a five-minute ballad from falling into repetitive boredom. So while there’s a chance you’re going to find sounds new or topics hitherto unexplored on ‘Whatever’, there is plenty to like in the quality department. That’s the mark of an artist well worth keeping an ear out for.