LAVI has been not-so-quietly making noise in the indie scene of late, and specifically the rhythmic and stylish noise representing a blend of hip-hop, pop, R&B, jazz and modern neo-soul that Bengaluru (where she’s based) has been seemingly obsessed with making for the last few years. Her new EP ‘529’ has basically everything going for it. It's produced by sudan (whose own album is one of the albums of the year) and contains enough sonic depth for a release thrice its size; so much so that you have to look really hard to find any blemishes or minor aberrations (if at all), and that is a compliment of the highest order.

‘529’ was made in a collaborative, stream-of-consciousness process in five days, but it sure as hell doesn’t sound like it. Both LAVI and sudan are on top of their game. The former sounds great on vocals that are full of personality, and the latter is jumping all over the place stylistically while making sure the EP overall has a consistent sound. Neither is easy to pull off, and these two make it look almost comically easy. They capture a vibe that’s very rare; the four songs on here can be listened to in almost any situation, be it a party, a quiet evening, a busy morning, and almost anything else you can think of. Not easy to do.

So, 11-ish minutes of music on display, and yet there is a ridiculous amount of variety. That being said, the opening track ‘Titli’ is perhaps the one song that doesn’t go over as well as the others. It is a combination of the 2-step/garage revival that came through 2020s pop music in the form of artists like PinkPantheress and a very Indian pop vocal melody (film music-y) that kind of requires the listener to have an appreciation of both sides to enjoy. Of course it’s a great song, but it does seem like pineapple on pizza; they might go fine together, but you wouldn’t necessarily make that connection yourself. And that’s how much you need to nit-pick to find anything wrong with any of these tracks.

‘Wait’ is a bouncy tune with a hell of a sample and a pop sound that would have fit into the mid-2000s without so much as a second thought. It’s incredibly catchy, has potentially the funnest chorus of anything released this year, and somehow injects a standard pop blueprint with emotional weight. sudan is also absolutely on fire here (those guitars are phenomenal). ‘Second Hand Mercedes’ changes tack completely and becomes a brash and confident pop-trap tune with the kind of groove that makes people hurt their necks. LAVI is especially electric on vocals. ‘Gullible’, the closer, takes the form of a sentimental 6/8 ballad but the shape of neo-soul from 2018, with texture for days, a synth, a little spoken word, warm guitars and a hushed vocal delivery. It’s excellent.

Notice how we didn’t bother nit-picking in the above paragraph? It is simply to show that doing so is not at all the point of what ‘529’ is. Here, you will come across music made by a talented artist in collaboration with another, with a level of quality very few artists in today’s indie landscape can maintain. Yes, there isn’t really a strong flow from one song to another, some of the music here feels a bit ‘of its time’ when its time is not ‘now’, and this is one of the few cases where songs could have actually been longer to achieve more meaningful conclusions. But all these thoughts are of those who analyse instead of listen. We would suggest you listen. And when you do, you will find a contender for EP of the year.

Listen here.