Nischay Parekh Jivraj Singh are a regular fixture at most Indian music festival these days, a dream-pop duo from the City of Joy - Kolkata are better known by their surnames Parekh and Singh. The pair’s debut album ‘Ocean’ (2013) has created waves and has got them a much sought after record label deal. Their music features none of the stereotypical sitars and tablas that dominate India’s music scene, but what you see on stage is two young musicians’ namely guitarist, vocalist and synth-player Parekh and percussionist Singh who produce music that would immediately magnetise you, distinctly un-Indian, but catchy enough to make you sway. 

Verus Ferreira, who has seen the duo perform at many festivals, spoke to the duo over a phone call to know more about the band and their pastel colored suits.

You guys have adopted a name stemming from the days when we heard bands like Simon and Garfunkel and Hall and Oates. Can you comment on it?

Nischay: The duo's you've named are our heroes and that feeling of a songwriting partnership is what we are looking to evoke, a friendship. We were actually known as Zap before adopting the name Parekh and Singh.

Can you recount how you guys met and how the band was formed?

Nischay: Well actually we went to the same school, La Martiniere for Boys. We met at a friend's birthday party actually. We quickly formed a friendship of our own and began playing music together. The original version had a keyboard player and was defined by a distinct lack of direction, so we quickly abandoned that. We came back together as a duo a few years later. We played our first gig in Bangalore in late 2012 and it was special. We knew that we had a special formula instantly and that it was something worth exploring further.

Nischay, can you give us a background on how you got into music?

Nischay: My mother and father were huge music fans. I am not a natural talent at guitar or singing by any means. I have no prodigious facility or God given flair. My strongest musical instrument is my mind. I learned this very quickly and decided to use it to write songs and arrange them.

Jivraj, can you too tell us how did you got into music?

Jivraj: Both my parents were professional musicians. I grew up resisting the idea of music because of this. They had a band and would rehearse at home with me in the other room playing computer games. When I was 18, I finally gave in and took up playing drums. You could say that it's in my blood and I haven't really looked back since. Not many people have the privilege of playing music with their parents, so I was very fortunate in that sense. It's even better when your parents happen to be great musicians. I actually always wanted to be a documentary-maker and was much more interested in the visual arts.

Nischay: Jivraj can also play the tabla.

Nischay you also did a stint at Berklee College of Music, right?

Nischay: Yes, but after two semesters at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, I dropped out and returned to Kolkata to write and produce my own music. 

Your music does not have any Indian instruments, any reason for the more synth – percussion – psychedelic kind of electronic – technology based sound?

Nischay: We simple love synthesizer and computers. Technology has allowed us to sound like a full band when it's just the two of us in reality. This is an amazing thing. Exploring the sonic landscape of analog and digital synthesis is something that interests us greatly. 

You released an album ‘Ocean’ last year. Can you tell us something about the album, a few of the songs and the songwriting process?

Jivraj: Ocean is our first album. It's young, it's optimistic and it's very honest as a first record should be. We're lucky that the songs became 'ear-worms' as they've been called. This was a product of luck and not of design, which I am sure about. The process was very simple. Nischay wrote most of these through his youth and teenage years. We just recorded them and that was that. There wasn't much thought that went into this production; we just wanted to keep it playful and immediate. We record fast, we don't like to linger.

Nischay; The title track is about navigating difficult relationships, while Newbury St is about homesickness, and Je Suis Le Pomme Rouge is inspired by his unsuccessful attempts to learn French through an app tells the story of the troubadour English king, Richard the Lionheart.

Who were your musical influences in the making of this album?

Nischay: James Taylor, Nine Inch Nails, Ella Fitzgerald and Walt Disney.

You made a music video for ‘I Love You Baby, I Love You Doll’. Can you tell us something about it, finding the right location and other details?

Jivraj: Nischay went location scouting for almost 3 months before finding the best location, which turned out to be a friend’s palace-home in the depths of our beautiful state of West Bengal; we had a very professional crew made up of our friends, most of who live in Bombay. Misha Ghose was our director and she really held us together. The shoot was a very inspiring and educational process. The narrative was simple, intersections. The imagery was the focus for the video and our art director Ayesha Kapadia did an exceptional job.

You signed with a UK record label for your debut album. Can you tell us what the deal is and what the future looks like for the band? 

Nischay: As of now we are signed to Peacefrog records and they've been a perfect fit for us. Very supportive and very encouraging. We also have other parts in motion. We will put atleast 2 more albums with Peacefrog. The crazy thing is that with every new thing that we do, there are new labels and organizations that are keen to work with us. So the future looks very exciting. We're managed by ATC which was a company set up by Radiohead's managers and they manage some great acts. Our booking agents are Primary Talent, who is one of the biggest in Europe. So there are a lot of people who have a vested in interest in our careers. 

We also hear that a new album is in the offing. Can you give us some clarity on it and what’s it all about?

Nischay: It's different from ‘Ocean’. That's all we can say at this point.

Your track Summer Skin has been ready for quite a few years now, why didn’t you release the track earlier?

Nischay: We wanted to release a complete album with a coherent new visual language. Summer Skin is a transition from the world of the previous album to the world of ‘Science City’.

 Was it a risk releasing a song that has a playtime of more than five minutes?

Nischay: Every release is a risk, or not, depending on how much one thinks about it. We generally don’t think too much about it, and just focus on the work at hand.

Each song of yours is conceptualized in the form of a story. Amongst all your hits, which is your favourite story?

Nischay: We’re currently enjoying Down At The Sky.

Do you feel you will always remain as a two piece set up?

Nischay: We had a bass player and a keyboard player on tour with us in the UK. It worked out well. So we aren't closed to adding more members based on the situation.

A question many people might want answers for. Any reason for the brightly colored tailored suits you wear on stage at live performances? How did this fashion statement come to you guys?  Nischay: We like the idea of a uniform; a suit is something associated with work. The colors remind us that it's also a uniform for playfulness and fun, balance and contrast.

How did the nickname ‘Pop Princes’ come into play? Who was the first name to refer to the both of you by that name.

Nischay: It’s not a nickname; we’ve just been called that in an article in The Guardian.

Name two artists you’d like to collaborate with.

Nischay: John Mayer and Pino Palladino

How does it feel to be a part of Vh1 Summer League 2019? A message you’d like to share with your fans ahead of your battle with Calvin Harris & Rag ‘N’ Bone man.

Nischay: We’re delighted to be a part of the Summer League. Our message for our fans is always: “thank you!”

Name a festival you would love to perform at?

Nischay: Fuji Rock (an annual rock festival held in Naeba Ski Resort, in Niigata Prefecture, Japan).

Interviewed by Verus Ferreira