Restarting a musical chapter

HMT jams together. Pic Courtesy/Shaunak Bordoloi

Jeet Thayil is a man who wears many hats and he's now donned the garb of a musician after a long time, releasing a new song called Ride that train with his band, HMT, named after the three members - Hollis Coats, Sandeep Madhavan and Thayil. "This song talks a lot about the isolation and the forced silences of the pandemic. The phrase ‘ride that train' comes with the notion of just going on amidst this pandemonium," Thayil shares.

The blueprint for the track had been laid down before the pandemic hit, but then the lockdown stalled proceedings. Madhavan tells us, "Jeet and I have known each other for a while and HMT has jammed together before. But the pandemic ensured that we sit at home and confine ourselves in more ways than one."

Jeet Thayil and Sandeep Madhavan. Pic Courtesy/Coni Horler

The song has elements of funk and dark electronic sounds that complement the euphoria and mystery behind the lyricism. The music coupled with Thayil's speakeasy baritone makes for quite an otherworldly experience. "Initially, the song had dark indie and rock overtones with drums and typical arrangements. As time went by, we realised that the current iteration of a dark electronic sound would suit Jeet's voice and the general appeal of the song best," Madhavan explains.

The music video accompanying the track has a psychedelic reverie to it that adds to the atmosphere of the sound that HMT has sought to produce with this single. "When the lockdown was eased the first time around, we organised a small jamming session with a few friends at Madhavan's place in Goa. The music video was born out of that relaxed atmosphere of a listening party, just to bring out the character of the song through the video," shares Thayil. With the world opening up slowly but surely, this track - which has influences of bands like Massive Attack and Portishead - offers a fitting soundtrack to our times.

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