It’s getting harder and harder to find standouts in the genre that Bangalore singer-songwriter Saroj Kashyap uses on her new single ‘Nargis’ these days. It’s acoustic pop, and at this point, you could probably do a study and conclude that one in every few solo artists in the entirety of the Indian indie scene are using this sound. It’s for good reason; you don’t need too much gear, your technical rider for a gig is like two pages long, and it’s endlessly listenable. That being said, we are covering this particular single because it does stand out. And just the fact that it does so in a sea of music that sounds just like it is notable. Obviously, it’s a nice tune as well.

Ok, we know the ingredients to this, so let’s deal with them. Acoustic guitars - clean and warm. vocals - clear. Mix - great. Now, here’s everything that stands out. Saroj’s voice has an interesting, distinct tone to it; her vocals seem 'felt' and have a sort of unique twang (is there some Dolores O’Riordan in there, by any chance?). This gives the song way more character than it would have with the sterile, stubbornly precise delivery lots of modern singers use today. There is also a very nice arrangement behind her, with some strings (which are gorgeous) and – a flute! The flute has an Indian-ness to it that meshes satisfyingly well with everything else. The sum total of these subtleties is instrumentation that has the vibes of a movie soundtrack, an imaginative presentation of what is quite a straightforward song, and a suggestion of folk-pop that one might not expect. So, ‘Nargis’ does enough to sound fresh and different. And while different isn’t always good, it is here. Put this on when the sun’s shining through your window and you have the sudden urge to feel poetic. We’ve all been there.