BENGALURU: After winning the battle of bands at the 23rd edition of Bengaluru’s prestigious annual music festival -- Strawberry Fields, 2020 – in January, Bengaluru garage rockers, Iyer’s Filter Coffee, are back. This time, they have come out with their debut full-length album, titled 'Is This How You Do It', which was released on May 23. Featuring Rushil Mishra on guitar and lead vocals, Dennis Dey on bass and backing vocals, Pushkar Ravindra on guitar and backing vocals, and Sachin Iyer on drums, the eight-track album is also a step out of their comfort zone, says Dey.
He adds, “The songs are fuelled by our indie-garage sound along with influences from bands that we envy. There are experimental bits with hints of pop and a bit of metal.” Carrying influences from international bands like Arctic Monkeys, Foo Fighters and the Strokes, the album is a fast-paced garage-rock affair with hints of alternative elements. “Deytime would be one of the favourites from the album. It has a bit of humour and most of our songs – penned by Mishra – are also derived from our personal experiences,” says Dey.
Sonically, the band has strived to portray fresher elements while they retain their brisk sound with a slice of upbeat songwriting and wacky instrumentals. Since their formation in late 2017, Iyer’s Filter Coffee has gone ahead to release a single and a five-track EP – Coldturkey (2019) -- which received applause from critics and listeners alike. “We wouldn’t say that we stick to one sound as such, we are still working around newer additions. However, this album was a more experimental effort,” asserts Dey.
While the band was ready with most of their material in March and was looking forward to an album launch, plans took a back seat due to the lockdown. So they went ahead to release it on streaming platforms. Dey points out that being unable to perform is a concern which is shared by most musicians. “The entire independent music scene is suffering in the current scenario. For us, this release was more on the lines of getting our music out there and not whether it would be successful. It is for the listeners and the dedicated fan base,” he says.