The Light Years Explode is an Alternative /Indie Pop band from Mumbai, India. The band’s music features pop hooks, punchy drums, syncopated rhythms, jangly guitars & kitschy synths set to stories about suburban paranoia & escapism. The Lightyears Explode consists of vocalist-guitarist Saurabh Roy, bassist Shalom Benjamin and drummer Jeremy D’souza. The band started as a garage rock outfit with its debut “The Revenge of Kalicharan”.
The album was highly acclaimed but if that’s your only acquaintance with the band, you are in for a big surprise when you listen to its latest offering. Gone are the distorted, heavy riffs and in their place, you will find brand new electro pop elements, catchy vocal hooks and groovy beats that will make you “just wanna have fun” (foreshadowing alert). The Lightyears Explode is releasing its EP “Mellow” in a “one song every five weeks” manner. The first single, “Satire” was released five weeks earlier and the band is back with the EP’s title track “Mellow”. That’s the song we are reviewing here.
First things first, the track’s name is highly misleading. It’s about as mellow as a five year old on a sugar rush. The track kicks off with a very happy sounding guitar hook which is reminiscent of the 1983 Cyndi Lauper smash hit “Girls Just Want To Have Fun”. What’s more fun than a fun song hearkening back to another? Probably nothing.
The intro does a perfect job of setting up the song and cementing the fact that the title “Mellow” is a big fat lie. So if you were in a mellow mood, looking for something mellow to listen to, “Mellow” won’t fulfill that desire. However, if you do go ahead and listen to it, your mellow mood will change instantaneously and you will start having fun with this vivacious and uplifting tune.
The vocal melody is very tuneful and catchy. Even if you don’t remember the words, you can easily hum this uplifting tune. Saurabh Roy’s vocal tone is consistently happy and he delivers a performance that the song deserves. The lyrics are all about fun too, there’s no time wasted on brooding and overthinking. The pen must’ve had a lot of fun while writing them too.
Shalom Benjamin and Jeremy D’souza provide a solid rhythm section with an infectious beat that screams FUN. The groove on this song will make your feet move, even if they are covered with a ton of lead.
“Mellow”, along with the other tracks on the EP was recorded at vocalist-guitarist Rishi Bradoo’s Theatre 74, the city-based That Studio and the band’s own home studios. The EP has been masterfully produced by Achint who has also provided keys to the mix. Australia based sound engineer Ganesh Singaram mixed it and Richard Lake mastered it.
Whether you have two left feet or one right and one left, when you listen to “Mellow”, you are going to move them, and have a lot of fun doing it.
Verdict: This song doesn’t care about anything, it just wants to have fun.
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