soorya is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and singer based in Bengaluru who also has experience working in video, writing and film. This guy does a lot of stuff, is a fixture in multiple bands, and has a hand in a LOT of music that’s out right now, so if you think you haven’t heard much from him, you’re wrong and you most probably have. soorya has actually been writing solo material for a while now but hasn’t released much beyond a live EP, but this year bring a new single, ‘Square One’ – the purpose of which seems to be a sort of showcase of his pop songwriting skills. A purpose that it achieves.

‘square one’ is a relatively straightforward (or direct) love song that keeps it very simple on the ‘writing’ side of things. It’s sing-along-able and easily listenable when its turns comes around on the relaxed evening house party playlist, as it were. Production-wise, there are inspiration from RnB, some lo-fi, and so on – synths that are lush and a bit reedy in equal measure, a groove that’s very laid-back and a bunch of vocal layering. It’s a solid listen, and its simplicity is its virtue. If you’d like to contemplate a relationship to it, it works. If you want a soundtrack for all the shaky indie film-style footage of all the sunsets and scenery from the last summer holiday you took, it works for that too. The track works for a bunch of varied moments and occasions that demand the playing of music; that is what a pop song is meant to do.

There’s more music coming from soorya, and some live shows that are worth attending if you can. It is relevant to mention this because the live experience seems to be the other side of the musical coin in a sense. It’s with a full band, it’s very dance-able and has a range of genres and styles that, if listed, will turn this short piece into an Excel spreadsheet. So, yes ‘square one’ is squarely a pop tune (that is a bit on the longer side at times, truth be told), but if you think soorya is therefore just a pop artist, nope. Absolutely not.

The song’s out on all the streaming platforms, yadda-yadda.