Singer-songwriter Alvina D’souza’s EP Cue is a 4-track compilation with light-headed Hindi and English compositions. Even if the songs do delve into deeper concepts, D’Souza’s laidback vocal style and the lofi/bedroom pop-like ambiance in the production would offer the listener a sense of ‘pausing in the moment’. 

While Flowers and Tu Hai Kahaan rely on such production, the third track Sitaare relies on a more conventional instrumentation with upbeat strumming. This is then followed by a more 2010s-era pop vibe with the final track titled Spillage of Studio. The choice of diverse sounds is definitely a great choice. You would be feeling all calmed down with the first track and then you might just be bobbing your head while feeling the closing one. 

Otherwise, a drawback in recent EPs in the indie-pop scene was that they were acquiring an increasingly repetitive soundscape from start to finish. The beauty about an EP is that as compared to an album, the EP can be less thematic and more random allowing for greater versatility in the range of emotions that she wants to portray. 

Alvina D’souza exercises great control over her approach. Her jazzy harmonies are neither too dragged-out nor too mellowed-down. Her vocals can be playful and candid even for a track like Tu Hai Kahaan. A bittersweet tune at its core, the standout track from the EP is about a toxic but clueless lover as she figures out her naivety after a relationship turning unexpectedly negative. So, to put it in a nutshell, Cue is a highly promising debut which makes best use of a ‘stream of consciousness’ style of thematic shifts between each song. 

Verdict: Warmth and comfort with young musings on love and life. 

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