18-year-old Akhil Sahni has been trained in the classical piano. However, it’s only quite recently that the young singer-songwriter has made the jump to indiepop. His latest track On My Birthday seems to prove his potential in this space. 

Sonically, On My Birthday is quite simple and straightforward. Adorned with some gentle guitar fingerpicking, Sahni relies on some hushed-down vocals to narrate a mellow tale of his birthday. 

When it comes to the lyrics, that’s when the song starts standing out. He paints a visual picture of the friends and family that surround him on his birthday while also mentally touching upon what he feels inside.

He’s most probably missing an old flame as he sings “And I just can’t believe why for the life of me you’d feel okay to only text me on my birthday”. He recounts the highs and lows of his former relationship and wishes that things were better. Even though he should be celebrating his big day, he is caught up in mellow thoughts of the past.

 
A bittersweet Gen-Z ballad, the song might garner the attention of younger listeners who are looking for some good English-language slow jams that are not by Western artists. Some might even end up feeling relatable. 

The song does seem to come from a genuine place and Sahni has definitely pulled off a good job in the lyrics department to get his point through. The simple instrumental arrangement also seems like a wise choice to express the melancholic undertones. 

In the end, On My Birthday might be on some people’s minds whenever the thought of a birthday arises.

Verdict: Birthday blues collide with acoustic goodness.