Top Indian Songs of the week 11th June 2023
Here are the best songs released in India across languages and genres for the week ending 11th June 2023.
If you are a musician submit your new music here.
1. Butterfly
Performed by Prithvi Prakash
Written by Prithvi Prakash
Produced by Ashwin Sriram & Prithvi Prakash
Language: English
Genre: Indie Pop
Sometimes you come across a song that makes your heart grow fonder. For me such songs make all my efforts of listening to hundreds of songs every week feel like a cinch. This phenomenal single by Prithvi Prakash is one that made me feel alive and thrilled to come out and write a review. It ,without any doubt, rises to the top of this week's ranking and credit goes to Prithvi who has composed, written and performed and Ashwin Sriram who co-produces the song with Prithvi.
I haven't featured Prithvi before and that is why I am super excited about the discovery of talent while Ashwin has been featured a couple of times for some fantastic singles of his own. She hits a home run ( baseball reference as the two are based in the US) with her vocals which also have this Carnatic Classical style of ghamakas on the ending note of every line.
The way she sings and ends the line "Yet you lay, curled in a corner" is amazing, and do pay attention to the word " corner". I love this delivery and I adore it throughout the song. We hear the keys in the background and just the vocals and keys keep things simple. Interestingly, the production adds a layer of vocals in the background and with a lag.
I enjoyed the mild alaap just after the lines "Butterfly, we built a pupa just for us", making it so unique and heartwarming. Slowly we get the impact of the chords on the keyboards and that guitar strumming steadily in the background. The combined effect of the guitars in the lead and the mild alaap in the background works beautifully and it is here that I sense some Raag Hamsadhwani.
As we progress, we get the rhythms and that solo Violin by Myra Rena Choo which strikes like an arrow, pointed and deep into my heart. Let all the song's beauty and its elements sink in so that you can just fly away like a butterfly. Anusha handles the cover artwork, with Rachel Pac as the photographer.
@pritsprakash @ashwynmusic @anushadesign @at_the_beat @pixbypac
2. Cant Help It
Written, Composed by Sanchi Mannotra
Performed by Sanchi
Produced by Osho Jain
Language: English
Genre: Indie Pop
This is the 3rd time I am featuring a song that Sanchi is involved in after two amazing singles "L.O.M.L." and "To Be in Love". I am firmly confident that Sanchi is one of the best indie talents we have in this country. Since I came to find out that she is also a tattooist, she could tattoo this claim of mine on my arm, that's how confident I am.
Osho Jain another consistently good indie singer-songwriter who I have featured many times does all the fantastic production for the song, and makes it breathe, survive and grow on the listener. Sanchi writes, composes and performs with incredible gusto and I get drawn by the sheer magnetism of her voice. The song is beautifully written, as I can sit here and feel her agony when she sings "Why am I held against my will to sleep next to him, I can change reality But it's never not a dream".
These guitars are a solid companion, and the notes are captivating when she utters the words " I can't help it, if my heart spins. When you're next to me", especially the second time she repeats the words "when you're next to me". The introduction of the humming is fabulous " tham tha tha tham" as it brings in style and funkiness, especially thanks to the vocal multiple layers and the drums.
Sanchi is phenomenal in delivering the vocals, keeping in mind the right emotive construct and the way she explores the higher pitch. The vocal harmonies are brilliantly arranged in the outro and probably are one of the highlights of the song. Kudos to Osho for the production, and Utkarsh Amarpuri for the solid mixing and mastering of the tracks. Aayushi Bansal handles the cover art.
@sanchhhii @oshojain_ @buttonchutney @aayushi_bansal_
3. Acho Kemon
Singer: Iman Chakraborty
Music: Savvy
Lyrics: Dipangshu Acharya
Programming: Shamik Chakravarty
Language: Bangla
Genre: Filmi Melody
Nothing matches the beauty of a lullaby and when you have the beautiful language of Bangla, especially with the vocals of a stalwart like Iman Chakraborty, you are just destined for peace and tranquillity. The percussions in the background are so authentic and remind me of rural West Bengal. Savvy is the composer and producer and he has been featured a few times on this website. He and the programmer Shamik Chakravarty do a fine job getting all the rhythms and percussions perfectly executed and arranged.
Swarajit Ratul Guha plays the flute solo, and the chorus is beautiful thanks to additional vocals by Ankita Batabyal and Poulomi Chakraborty. The strings section is impactful as well and instrumental arrangements are a great reason for the song's effective outcome. The stanza is subtle with only Iman's voice and the Keys at the start and then we get the rousing strings and mild percussions. Subhadeep Mitra is the mix/master engineer.
@iman_chakraborty @ankita_batabyal @swarajit_ratul @souviksavvyg @love_oindrila @surinderfilms
4. Rang
Singer / Music Composer- Bombay the Artist
Lyrics- Bombay the Artist
Produced by - Reverse Prodigy, Shirish
Vocal Production- Akarsh Shetty, Hanish Taneja
Language: Punjabi
Genre: Folk/Electronic Pop
I recently reviewed a fantastic self-titled EP by Bombay the ARtist and it brought an amazing tone and colour to Punjabi folk in a way I would have never expected. She picks up from where she left off things. Her almost Contralto scale voice is fantastic and I can hardly imagine how she manages to do that.
The highlight is the production with those fabulous keys and synths thanks to Reverse Prodigy and Shirish. It makes you want to dance party. Bombay the Artist has written, composed and performed the vocals with supreme ease and class. I have become a fan! To accompany the fancy keyboard programming, we get the foot-tapping Indian rhythms done by Swapnil Tare, Pulkeet Kakkad and Aadil Khan.
I love the sound of the Shehnai in the interlude that adds a local Indian wedding/festivities flavour. It is in the stanza that we get to hear the acoustic guitars by Bibhash Buragohain, and the song moves into a beautiful love song zone. The vocal production is spectacularly done by Akarsh Shetty, and Hanish Taneja and the latter is also the man behind the mix/master engineer. Enjoy the beats and the riffs in the outro along with that pristine Shehnai.
@bombaytheartist @reverse_prodigy @shirishmusic @mixedbyhanish @akarshshettymusic @swapnil_tare_ @bily_birdie @dayone.in @sonymusicindia
5. Door Kahin
Writer, Composer & Singer - Raghav Kaushik
Music Production & Guitars - Bhushan Chitnis
Language: Hindi
Genre: Indie Pop/Melody
It has been a long time coming, for me to feature Raghav Kaushik's single amongst the best Indian songs of the week. I go back to some of his best songs always when I need some tantalising Hindi melodies e.g. "Khaare Raste" and "Koi Jaane Na".
Raghav has written and composed this beauty and when he sings it, the way he does he makes you forget time and space. Bhushan Chitnis touches your heart as much with his mild and meaningful strumming on the acoustic guitar. The guitars just up the ante as we head into the subsequent lines and then comes my favorite part. It is when Raghav sings "jise beintehan main pyaar se, rahoon dekta kahin door se" and when he just utters the notes "kya pata woh", I fell in love with the guitar notes just then.
We also hear some mild vocal harmonies in the background and then heading into the interlude, it is all Bhushan's magic on the guitars. It is bemusing, how Raghav hasn't broken into the world of Bollywood or any other mammoth musical space, because this guy has a phenomenal voice and great control to back that up. Get ready to be bowled over by Raghav's fantastic singing and vibrato when he sings " kuch woh kahe". The tracks are mixed and mastered by Himanshu Shirlekar at Kopper Audio, Mumbai
@raghav__kaushik @bhushan_bhu_chitnis @mixedbyhim
6. Aunty Ko Tato Bagaicha
Performed by Gauley Bhai
Written by Gauley Bhai
Music by Gauley Bhai
Language: Nepali
Genre: Folk-Rock fusion
This rock band was formed by members from two corners of the country viz. Kalimpong and Kozhikode. Veecheet, Siddhant and Anudwatt are from Kalimpong and Joe is from Kozhikode and the band is currently based out of Bengaluru. Gauley Bhai composes and performs this song as a dedication to River Teesta and how various human activities in the name of development have only worsened the river's color and purity. This Nepali song has some amazing vocals and live instrumentals.
Veechet Dhakal gets the oomph going with his vocals, but a solid intervention on the Violin solo reverberates long and hard. Joe Panicker plays the emphatic drums and we can hear the sizzling bass guitars by Anudhwat Dhakal. This interlude with the fast-paced drums, Violins and guitars feel like the theme music of the old American show "Get Smart" sped up. Kudos to the band members for this spectacular performance.
@swaminathansow @gauleybhai
7. Snehadweepile
Music: Govind Vasantha
Lyrics: Anwar Ali
Singers: Pradeep Kumar and Chinmayi Sripada
Language: Malayalam
Genre: Filmi Melody/Pathos
Govind Vasantha marches on, like an unstoppable force as he composes one mighty album after another, especially in Malayalam. There have been 4 to 5 EPs in the last couple of months and I admire his consistency and quality at every given opportunity. This has two phenomenal vocalists and that is more than half of the job done for Govind, thanks to Pradeep Kumar and Chinmayi Sripada. The guitar riff at the beginning does some solid pulling in and it is impossible to skip the song when you have that kind of a start. Anwar Ali is the lyricist.
Durwin D'souza plays the guitars as well as the Mandolin for this song, and we have Pradeep and Chinmayi sounding slightly morose to get the intended tone. I love it when the two lead vocalists combine and sing the title line, and Durwin's Mandolin plays in the stanza in the background The mood gets even gloomier in the stanza, but the melody remains intact. I love the mild male humming that we can almost right through the song. The song is mixed by Govind, with recording engineers Avinash Satish and Praveen. Rajan KS has mastered the tracks.
@pradeep_kumar1123 @chinmayisripaada @durwin_dsouza @avinashsathish
8. Chale Jo Sath Hum Yahan
Lyricist: Shrinidhi Ghatate
Music Publisher: AHAIBAM
Composer: Shrinidhi Ghatate
Producer: Manas Borthakur
Language: Hindi
Genre: Indie Pop
Shrinidhi Ghatate is blessed with a fantastic set of vocals and she also is a very capable songwriter. She has established that fact many a time, and I have featured her too. In fact, this song is from an album called "UNTIL NOW" and in this, I have reviewed 3 other songs viz. "Lehrein", "Wildflower" and "Raat". So it is a terrific feat to have 4 fantastic songs under a single album. Kudos to Shrinidhi on that.
I love the line " Hona hai jo hote rahega" especially the second time when she repeats it. Manas Borthakur is the producer and he gets arrangements excellently done. Rahul Gajjal is the Keyboardist, and producer /guitarist Ishan Das is on the guitars. The interlude has this interplay of the lead guitars and the Keys in the background. The stanza is well composed and you can hear Ishan Das creatively doing his bits in the background. Pankaj Borah does the mixing and mastering, with Rakesh Singh as the EP.
I also find the title line beautiful, and it takes a trajectory which I wouldn't have predicted as she goes " Chale jo sath hum yahan, manzil ki na parwah, na rukhe hum kahin bhi". The music label is AHAIBAM Records.
@ahaibam_records @manash_borthakur_music @pankajborahb @neosoundstudios @a.rakesh_singh @shrinidhighatate @ishandas_666
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9. Kahaaniyan
Performed by Kanishk Seth, Subhi
Written by Subhi Khanna
Produced by Kanishk Seth
Language: Hindi
Genre: Alt-Rock
Kanishk Seth is a superb producer/composer and he is one of those talented musicians who knows how to engage all the young music listeners and at the same time get his musical style and pedigree to sync with the modern tastes. He might have become super famous after 'RangiSaari' but a true music connoisseur would have known of his abilities much before.
This is his collaboration with a very fine US-based singer-songwriter Subhi. She has been on my radar for quite a while and has been featured as well. Subhi was in the top 24 of NEXA Music Season 2, and I did feel it was a good song, but this one here truly is captivating. The song here is written by Subhi and Kanishk brings his A-game to the production.
Subhi's mesmerising voice drives the song forward, with the keys and synths decorating in the background. I love the female humming that just follows the line "Kya dikh jayegi bhi jannat mujko". The electric guitars and drums make a foray and form this sizzling Alt-Rock interlude. The delivery by Subhi is spot on, as it carries a cool, confident attitude. Kanishk arranges and programs to perfection and he takes of the Keys and Synths. The electric guitar towards the end just makes this one wild ride. Let us not forget that this is thanks to some kick-ass guitars by Bhushan Chitnis. Prathmesh Dudhane is the mixing engineer.
@subhimusic @seth_kanishk @bhushan_bhu_chitnis @prathmeshdudhane
10. Meghali Sawoni
Performed by Aaxih, Amlan Jyoti Bora, Beesaal Music, Stuti Sarmah
Written by Amlan Jyoti Bora
Produced by Beesaal Music
Source: Nixa Music
Language: Assamese
Genre: Indie Pop
We have a beautiful pop melody from Assam written by Amlan Jyoti Bora and performed by Amlan, Aaxih( Ashish Bora), and Stuti Sarmah. The song is produced magnificently by Beesal Music.
The flute solo and guitars lay the framework for the vocalists to enthral us. The male and lead vocals are sweet and tender. As we get past the opening lines, we get some terrific singing by Stuti, and this is supported by good chord progression on the guitars.
The introduction of the Tabla adds a nice alternate flavour to the pop style thus far. The song like many Assamese indie projects has a tinge of Raag Hamsadhwani in my opinion. The multiple layers of flutes work quite well, and then there is the sound of the Sitar, ethnic strings and some catchy rhythms to form the interludes. The outro with the Santoor and the flute feels good to hear.
@aaxihmusic @amlan2.0 @_stuti_sarmah_ @pankaj_pao @beesal_music___
11. Vijaya Bhava
Song Composed by: Vikram Montrose
Singer: Shadab Faridi
Lyrics: Abhinav Shekhar
Song Programmed & Sound Design by: Vikram Montrose
Vikram Montrose is one of the few diamonds left in the rough. In Bollywood, one can easily count the dependable and talented composers with two hands (I'm tempted to say 1 hand). Anyway debates aside, Vikram belongs in that list and I am glad that he comes up with the good every time he is given a chance. Just under a month ago, he was featured in a fantastic single along with Roshni Saha called Tukde.
This is a very different song and the variations that he can produce are a sign of his diverse skill set. Shadab Faridi is the lead vocalist and he induces that Sukhwinder Singh tone, to my liking. Check out the brilliant rhythms and synths raising the temperature and mood of the song. It feels invigorating and I can very well compare to any AR Rahman song that is meant to be a heroic anthem like this.
The additional vocals add to the effect and we have this Santoor played in hyper-fast mode, and that is very creative of Vikram. The Santoor is meant to be creating calmness, but he uses it to ignite a fire within. Vikram handles the composition, programming and fantastic sound design with pumping and engaging lyrics by Abhinav Shekhar. The tracks are mixed and mastered by Eric Pillai
@vikrammontroseofficial @iamshadabfaridi @abhinavskrblive @ericpillai
12. Roshni
Music & Performance - thebutterflyeffect_india
Writing & Composition - Dhrubajyoti Phukan
Lyrics - Shamim Sheikh & Dhrubajyoti Phukan
Language: Hindi
Genre: Alt-Rock
I do believe in the Butterfly Effect, and I can sense how the guitars and vocals in the initial seconds of this song tend to have a positive impact on my mood and that improves my day as I spend the evening with my wife and the world around just benefits positively. This band called 'the butterfly effect_India' composes this very gentle song that has a generous feel-good effect.
The solo on the electric guitar along with the drums and the humming in the interlude is beautifully arranged and executed. Bandmember Dhrubajyoti Phukan has composed the melody while Shamim Sheikh & Dhrubajyoti have penned the lyrics.
The tantalising vocals belong to Debrabata Gogoi, and he is aided by Akash Tim Cena on guitars and Digbijay Gogoi on drums and Jinnay Chowdang Boruah as the bassist. All the fantastic mixing, mastering and recording is done by Digbijay. The arrangements both for the live instruments and vocal harmonies are exemplary. I love how the supporting elements drop-down in decibel levels when he sings the title line.
@cenaakash @jinnaychowdangboruah @xdebo_ @d_j_phukan_junior @digbijay_gogoi @thuriya_saikia @vinnakshi
@thebutterflyeffect_india @studiowavemotion_dibrugarh
13. Forgive
Vocals, composition : Jaden Maskie
Lyricist: Jaden Mascarenhas
Language: English
Genre: Indie Pop
Jaden Maskie just released his debut EP 'Means so much' and I recommend that you go and listen to some of the exciting music in the collective. This talented young musician inspires and impresses every time with some good vocals and writing.
This song talking about the power of forgiveness is my favourite in the EP and it checks all the boxes I look out for in a nice refreshing original song. Jaden sings with amazing ease and he switches from the baritone pitch to Tenor and then jumps to falsetto without any hassle. The guitars are solid and they keep hitting the right notes and nerves thanks to Pritish Gandhi.
The Piano and Keys are played by another young musician Emmanuel de Noronha. Jaden however is in charge of the production and so he brings all the elements together and ensures smooth arrangements. I love the vocal harmonies doing the humming when he sings " We need to try oh, Just feel alive oh, You can survive oh". Jaden does the mixing and Vivek Thomas handles the mastering.
@jadenmaskie @farmhouse.music @emmanueldenoronha @pritish_gandhi @vivekthomasproductions
Author
I write album and song reviews of Tamil music every month for Behindwoods. You can also call me a sports nut, especially football, and I used to write articles on sportskeeda.com. I am a die-hard Argentina football fan and have travelled to South Africa and Russia to witness the FIFA world cup games. It is not just music, I love movies as well and you will find me quoting dialogues and moments from a lot of movies, as I believe every movie teaches me something new about life itself.