BENGALURU: Slightly over a year since their inception, city-based rock outfit Another Kind Of Green (AKOG) is inching closer to the release of their debut album – Plain Good Feeling. The current six-piece lineup features Sanket Chakraborty (drums), Shikha Chandrashekhar (vocals), Vishal Varier (bass), Chethan Kadoor (guitar), Ibin Rigia (guitar) and Anand Murali (keyboard). Portraying an infectious and energetic blend of rock, punk and blues, the band is set to release Moonlight Swing, a song from the eight-track album, in August.
The song revolves around the idea of a modern-day traveller finding expression by riding off into the night. “Moonlight Swing is the phrase we used to personify the euphoria that a person experiences while doing so. The song is a fun ride in itself with frequent changes in keys and time-feels, but it eventually revolves around the main riff of the song, which is catchy, simple and fun to sing along to,” says Varier.
Plain Good Feeling is a representation of the outfit’s journey of finding their sound and creating a niche with a blend of blues, rock and punk, or as they call it, ‘FunRock’. “The name sums up what our music is at the end of day, and the album explores the various influences that each member brings to the fore. While each song has its own space and its own story to tell, the album at large is simply about making our listener have a good time, giving them a song for every mood. We want it to be a fulfilling emotional journey at the end of it,” adds Varier.
Since December last year, the band has released three singles from the album – Plain Good Feeling, Captain Couch Potato and Hey Polly! While Hey Polly! is the tale of a classic love triangle based on a true incident in Kadoor’s life, Captain Couch Potato is a loud, punchy punk-rock song about how one doesn’t need flowy golden hair or bulging biceps to be a superhero.
“Quite topical during the current times, CCP (as we like to call the character) is probably the best superhero out there, staying at home and watching TV on his couch. That being said, the song came from a place of appreciating oneself and enjoying what you’re all about,” says Varier adding that their latest single Plain Good Feeling, is a rousing reminder of taking pride in being who you are and an ode to the ups and downs in life.
The songwriting process has been a collaborative effort as opposed to a particular member being the principal songwriter. While the band planned to release the album by the end of 2020, the pandemic resulted in them being scattered all over the country. “But we’ve been making new music consistently over video calls, thanks to the privileges technology affords us, and this definitely means that the release of more singles is on the agenda,” says Varier.