When Chai Met Toast is the toast (pun intended) of the Indian Indie scene. The Kochi quartet consists of Pai Sailesh on the drums, Palee Francis on the keyboard, Achyuth Jaigopal on guitar and banjos, and Ashwin Gopakumar on vocals. The band’s story began with Ashwin and Achyuth jamming together in a studio in Kochi. From those humble beginnings, the band has
grown into absolute phenoms of the Indie scene. The band primarily sings in English with a few Hindi and Malayalam phrases sprinkled here and there. The band aims to create songs that transcend age, genre and language. Vocalist Ashwin said: “It was a conscious choice initially to
make the songs relatable even to the people who don’t listen to English tunes. Thankfully, we have managed to have these multi-lingual phrases in all our songs; but we never alter lyrics or tunes to force them into the song.”
As far as When Chai Met Toast’s genre is concerned, the band plays a blend of Indie-Folk-Alternative. However, they have described their genre as
“happy”. The band has released a new track called “Maybe I Can Fly” and that’s what we are reviewing here.
Right off the bat, let’s make something very clear, the “Maybe” of “Maybe I Can Fly” is misleading, the track flies from the get-go. Every single note on this song is brimming with happiness, hope and optimism. The band invites you to grab on to its wings of joy and soar across the skies of bliss and wonder. And don’t worry, this flight is totally turbulence-free as the
band keeps its performance tight throughout the track. The melody is tuneful, catchy, and memorable, and the chorus “oh..oo..ooo..ohh…oh” is going to become the soundtrack to your moments of joy. It’s a great encapsulation of how we feel whenever our nervous system is
overrun with happiness. Whether it’s the first taste of a delicious dish, the first drops of rain on our palms after a long-drawn summer, or a passionate embrace with a lover after being away from them for very long, that particular refrain is the soundtrack for those moments.
Maybe I Can Fly is a great song which has been performed spectacularly by the band. The vocals are cheerful and convey a lot of emotions through the lyrics. The song also has a rich instrumental accompaniment that compliments the vocals perfectly. With Maybe I Can Fly, When Chai Met Toast haven’t recorded a song, they have captured joy on tape.
Verdict: If optimism were a song, it would definitely sound like this.
