Vocalists Yogie and Vanishree Sahu, along with producer Wroc have released a new EP titled Kya Wajah Hai (Hindi for ‘What’s The Reason?’). The five songs bear a chilled-out lo-fi pop and chill-rap sound, with bi-lingual lyrics in English and Hindi. Each song brims with a bittersweet tone, coupled with gentle keys and guitars along with typical chillwave sounds like the crashing of waves. Themes like new-age love and personal anxieties of the artists are touched upon. But the overall vibe is such that listeners can hear the EP without giving much thought. It makes for an effortlessly breezy listening experience.
Yogie and Sahu are both given adequate duration to showcase their voices and thoughts, blending with each other in great ways. Yogie’s rap verses and flows are pretty calming and evoke this new wave of mellow hip-hop that several Indian rappers are trying to achieve (rather than sticking to the usual ‘hard’ beats). As for Vanishree Sahu, her vocals can transition from gentle to powerful based on the needs of the song.
Wajah and Layak are the standout tracks from the EP. The latter is one of the examples from Kya Wajah Hai that mixes English and Hindi. Often such linguistic fusions end up sounding haphazard or overdone. Songs like Layak thankfully do not fall into that category as both artists play their own part, providing their own takes with Wroc’s chill beats. Now Wroc is definitely the star of this project. Indian chillwave and lo-fi-influenced subcultures are slowly taking over the indie scene and artists would definitely have to use the talents of producers like him. So, the EP definitely scores high when it comes to the production alone.
In a few track’s Yogie’s flow might sound a bit repetitive at some parts but he still has an amusingly deadpan approach to his rap verses. He doesn’t need to shout much or get over-emotive to get his point clear. For instance, in Dooriyan, he takes a slightly robotic approach that might seem to be riddled with monotony initially. But after a few seconds, the flow gets pretty catchy making the song worth vibing to. Vanishree Sahu on the other hand, resorts to a more versatile aura, switching between the languages and energies. She seems to be in full control whenever she starts singing, her voice flowing as smoothly as Wroc’s beats.
Overall, the project is amazing and could have been even better if there was a slight break away from the usual mellowness, to make space for some diverse or experimental songs in between. But that’s maybe the trio’s purposeful choice to have a running theme throughout the entire tracklist.
Verdict: Wavy production and a calming atmosphere are enough reasons for you to check out Kya Wajah Hai.
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