Week on Week: The VICE India Mixtape

Attempting to keep up with new releases is exhausting. And the never-ending quest to discover an act before they hit >1,000 plays on Bandcamp is all but rewarding. Having given up full-time music writing a little while ago, more often than not, I find myself feeling a mix of FOMO and IDGAF about new, local music while compiling my Spotify playlists. With this feature, we (that is, I) aim to put together a weekly mixtape with inputs from VICE India staffers—across all departments—without being a judgemental asshole.

“Four cubes of ice in a crystal whiskey glass/60 ml of a golden single malt, frozen a bit for that perfect viscosity/Condensation so thick it makes the glass look frosted/Take a sip, feel the heat in your lungs/Hear his voice, feel the warmth in your soul/I'd marry that voice.”
- Dipen Shah, Creative Writer and more often than not, the life/death of a party

“This December, this legendary song turns 15. I was 14 when this album dropped with the whole explicit advisory parent warning charade and it instantly cemented my relationship with my elder brother who would let me borrow it for my ‘discman'. 213 aka Warren G., Snoop, and Nate’s group was probably my first introduction to this music. Every once in a while, I put this on repeat, singing those lyrics and that classic West coast whistle—man, it’s epic.”
- Ishita Pilani, Manager-Sales Strategy and Brand Partnerships and IG kween

“My wife turned me on to St. Vincent last year. MASSEDUCTION was the first St. Vincent album I ever heard, and this year she came out with an acoustic reworking of it, titled MassEducation. Daribha, my wife, usually listens to her music out loud in the house while we work, so I absorb most of the playlist without knowing the artists or song titles and spend the rest of the week humming the few bars that stay with me. With “Young Lover”, an image stayed with those few bars. The piano version bares down the musicality of the song so that the imagery in it confronts you harder. I walked around a week picturing bathtubs and empty pill bottles. I hope you do too.”
- Adhiraj Singh, Head Writer and the only one, therefore qualifying him as the head of the team

“It's a really lazy day and all you want to do is chill in an oversized T-shirt and pyjamas and order a bowl of your favourite aglio olio. The glutton in you doesn't want to stop, and so you order another bowl because how can you resist? That is Parvaaz for me—comfort. It is so hard to not get hooked to a band, especially if it's Parvaaz. There's not one thing that I can pick apart as my favourite. The songwriting, Sachin on the drums, and Khalid's voice—it's just too hard to not listen to them on loop. Parvaaz is the Indian equivalent of Coldplay for me.”
- Manisha Rajendran, Post-production supervisor and Totoro in disguise

“About two years ago, the SoundCloud algorithm led me to this lovely song by Delhi-based electro-rock outfit Basanti Aur Rahza. Considering my cranial shelf life for songs doesn’t last more than two weeks (after listening 24x7 on loop—no exaggeration), it’s stupefying, especially to me, that this song still charms, nay, delights. Mahima Dayal Mathur’s Shubha Mudgal-esque baritone soars and falls with such delicate ease in this Hindustani classical fusion, that it feels like the first shower of monsoon on parched lands—every single time. I consider romance dead, but this song brings warmth to the coldest of my winters.”
- Pallavi Pundir, Staff Writer and true beneficiary of Diwali parties that go outta control

“How to give you 50-100 words about this song, dude? Bills kar raha hoon.”
- Mohit Gupta, Production Assistant and streaker of hair

“Is it possible to love Tyler any more? In a follow-up year to the seminal Flower Boy (dont @ me, it was better than DAMN.) he’s already dropped a joint with A$AP Rocky, stuff about bhindi, some numbers, instrumentals and fruit sodas. And now this—a theme song for a remake of the Dr. Seuss classic The Grinch (trailer here), being voiced by the inimitable Benedict Cumberbatch. Keep coming at me, Tyler—I’m ready for you, and the fire you’re breathing in these throwaways and asides. Pfft. Also, what better theme to get into the festive mood? Choke me, Diwali."
- Naman Saraiya, Producer and honestly-not-judging-your-reccos, gaiz