Nishant Sood is a composer-musician shuttling between Goa and Delhi. Having been exposed to and interested in a variety of genres, he does not conform to a specific tag. ‘Undertaker’s Son’ is the single in question; Nishant opines, “Undertaker’s Son is an idea that spawned 5 years ago, and over time has taken a whole new meaning and an arrangement to go with it. The song is a haunting take on the fragility of human life as well as the ray of hope that keeps us going.”

The track is a pretty barebones one, mainly driven by a single guitar and the vocals. Yet it lacks for nothing, with just the right number of layers of instruments. In the same vein as songs like Heron Blue by Sun Kil Moon and If I Had a Heart by Fever Ray, Undertaker’s Son could easily be imagined as a theme song for almost any form of media, it has all the attributes of an earworm. The simple vocal melody, gentle swells and the continuous trickling of notes on the guitar ensure that the song won’t be forgotten easily.  The chord progression (especially in the part right after the choruses) and the humming bits are absolutely delicious, portraying a sense of disquiet to perfection, further enhanced by the lyrics.

One does wonder how much more amazing this track would sound with a couple layers of vocal harmonies, perhaps in the lower vocal registers. Though if there was a gripe to be had (if at all) with this track, it would be about how abruptly it ends. While abrupt endings have worked well on songs, it doesn’t lend itself well to this particular song; it’s almost a bit jarring.

The raw potential in this song is stunning. It is a beautifully crafted track. Here’s to hoping for more releases in the near future from Nishant Sood.