Sanjana Devarajan is just in her early 20s, an age of new experiences and transitions. And maybe, the singer-songwriter attempts to express the observations, insecurities, and relationships that she finds at this age, in her new EP, aptly titled Mood.
Each song might suit listeners with different moods but for a first listen, it’s better to listen to the songs in chronological order. The EP opens with a vibey ballad called Lemonade. The songstress does bring a bittersweet metaphor out of lemonade in analysing a failed relationship. Some experiences too taste like lemonade. As Devarajan puts it, ‘feels sweet, and then it all fades.’
And then the next track is driven on contrasting themes of finding new love. Whole finds the singer embracing a gentler sound and a new pursuit of love, a far cry from the relationship in the first track. Next in line is I Could Be Your Wife, touching upon themes of liberation and breaking apart from the herd of those who fulfill everyday expectations of society. Perhaps, the essence of the song can be perfectly summed up by the following lines from the chorus, ‘I could be your lover, I could look fine. Make a sweet home with 2 kids in a line.
The EP closes with a mellow tune called I May Not Be A Star, in which she thanks for the people who constantly support her in her musical journey. She gets raw and honest, saying her songs might not get the most of airplay or award shows, but she’ll still be grateful for making music.
Now, as dissected above, the EP definitely comes from a personal space of introspection, and Sanjana Devarajan handles the singing, writing, and compositions perfectly without any airs of pretensions. The production is good enough, yielding jazzy, ambient moods that gel well with the simple yet charming lyrics. Two of the singles are also accompanied by catchy animated visuals, the style of which is reminiscent of the face emojis on Apple devices.
However, a minor drawback would be the overall sound that resonates with EP. Even though each song touches upon distinct themes, the general mood does tend to get a tad bit repetitive. This holds true especially in the case of the first three songs that have a similar pop-style ring to them. I May Not Be A Star, in this regard, is slightly different and breaks a little from the repetition. Maybe, for her future projects, the singer can experiment across genres and moods so that her discography doesn’t get oversaturated.
Yet, Mood is an exercise in good songwriting. As mentioned before, the lyrics are simple, but still honest enough to feel like it’s Devarajan’s story and the train of thoughts, and no one else. Her voice is also perfectly controlled as per the moods of the songs. In short, she does deliver a lot of promise for English indie music.
Verdict: Mood finds Sanjana Devarajan in an introspectively vibey mood.
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