There’s no consensus on when the world of relatively popular music (not chart-topping pop) decided that the sounds of soul, neo-soul, downtempo and generally more low-key genres was going to be its chosen direction for a number of years. Was it in the 90s when everything started with D’Angelo, Erykah Badu and Lauryn Hill, the early 2000s with Air and Zero 7, or the 2010s with The Internet and Frank Ocean? Whatever it may be, the blend of hip-hop, soul and the bounce of jazz became something that is still in high demand today. Delhi’s Tanya Nambiar uses these sounds as the bedrock of her new single ‘Stranger In Our Bed’, but she distinguishes herself from the herd by injecting a lot of fun and energy into it.

The track has really good production and a nice palate of sounds to choose from; the mix of genres on display here allows there to be a lot of colour sonically. The chorus of the song, which ups the energy considerably, makes use of a guitar, a constantly rising synth, keys and an extremely addictive horn section simultaneously. The drums are suitably dry and punchy to cut through and give space to the bass and other sounds. And above all this is her vocal, which is a bit strident but gives the song its confident air. There are a lot of things for the listener to latch onto here. The bassline of the song is primarily what gives it its irresistible groove. Coupled with the super tight drums, it is extremely difficult to keep still to. The chorus is a mini-explosion of sorts with all the horns, drum fills and synths; there is an air of play and fun on display here that is very satisfying. Tanya even throws in a section toward the last third of the track that features a relatively smooth rap verse backed by the kind of off-kilter ‘drunk’ grooves that D’Angelo popularized and neo-soul has co-opted en masse (also very head-noddable). There isn’t too much by the way of structural trickery here, but each part of the track is well crafted and never boring to listen to.

As a full song, ‘Stranger In Our Bed’ jumps from place to place a lot, not giving the listener time to soak in each groove or melody before progressing to the next thing. But in a way, that helps it along, because the primary intention is to have a lot of energy and provide a pulse that everyone can latch onto. Tanya sings about shrugging off some previous baggage and moving along; one would assume we can dance it away in the process.