Karajimo is an electronic project from the brain of Delhi’s Viraj Mohan, who has been in the scene for a long time with projects like AVR (Another Vertigo Rush) and so on. He’s been into electronic sounds and spaces for a while now; Lunar Howl is his debut full length in this avatar. The title track is pretty relaxing and laid back fare, but there’s always a sense of unease that elevates it to something more.

This song and project are not necessarily Viraj as a one-man show; the project has become more a collaboration with Keshav Dhar producing and Curtain Blue (Abhishek Bhatia) providing the main vocal motif on this track, for example. ‘Lunar Howl’ is a story of subtlety, using little pieces of acoustic instrumentation to supplement the electronic backbone of the track. The rhythms presented are very simple but they provide a great base for the instrumentation to do its thing. And under the surface, there’s quite a bit going on. There is a lot of guitar on this track, and its many forms give a great deal of texture. The synth bassline in the intro is supported by single notes on the guitar, providing a pulse and percussive touch as much as it is acting as, well, a guitar. There is a spare, skeletal element of how the drums, guitar, and the droning, interminably sleepy main vocal interact with each other that reminds one of more quiet and minimal stuff like the middle period of Nicolas Jaar’s work (the act of comparison is very wrong, but there are echoes of that in the listening experience). The vocal line that repeats through the track almost glosses over the transitions and different sections the other stuff in the mic goes through, tying it all together but also taking some of the attention. The song actually picks up towards the halfway mark with some more guitars, more aggressive sounds and a pretty impassioned vocal part before going back to the more minimal ideas of the first third. The added guitars are really what make ‘Lunar Howl’ stand out and provide interest; they support the song through its many changes. The track also ends with nothing but that same vocal line in isolation; another great touch.

The song is about hope and how we view it, but ‘Lunar Howl’ doesn’t fall into the trap of being some bubbly positive message with nothing but sunshine and rainbows. Every second of the track balances it with something you can’t quite put your finger on; something forlorn, dim and nocturnal. It’s a great track on its own and definitely helps anticipation for the full length that will drop later this year.