Abhimanyu Roy and Sohini Bhattacharya , Meghana Sastry
BENGALURU: Bengaluru-based two-piece instrumental outfit Treble Puns debut E – Sounds Like Treble – revolves around instances many Indians might relate to. Drummer Sohini Bhattacharya cites how it reflects daily events from one’s childhood years, and says, “It’s about things that Indian kids hear from parents, teachers and society. It forms the basis of who we are and the biases we hold as people. And in turn we repeat the cycle.” The four-track album also aims to create an audio-visual experience through a series of animations.With Bhattacharya on drums and Abhimanyu Roy on guitars, keyboard and programming, the music has soulful rhythms and a soothing tone.
The EP, which released on March 28, is an amalgamation of progressive rock, Indian classical and electronica with the addition of live looping, forming a complete sound. “We wanted an immersive sound experience that comes at a listener from many angles. For example, if you focus on one aspect of the sound, we wanted other elements to creep up on you,” says Bhattacharya, adding that when it came to the electronic aspects – loopers, programming and synthesisers were utilised. “In most of our songs, we start with the bassline. To us that’s what sets the tone and builds the song. After that, it’s about having fun with the sound and putting in what we enjoy listening to ourselves – an atmospheric sound with a relatable feel to it,” she said.
The duo, who formed the musical venture in 2018, say that the songs are based on defining relationships, especially the friction that makes these relations real. While tracks like No Teacher’s Pet speak of the obsession with formal education and its commoditisation as a means to wealth, Father of the Notion deals with a father trying to pass the buck of responsibility to his ward. “It states that you need to start earning and providing to be loved. Momologue, which is the longest piece, looks at the commonly used parenting technique of shaming one’s child into righteousness,” Bhattacharya explains.
Treble Pun’s sound is a homage to the artistes they draw inspiration from. “We tend to think like a prog rock band, breaking down rhythms into unequal patterns – similar to bands Tool and Porcupine Tree. The melodies are Indian, drawn from ragas. We are inspired by great Indian guitar players like Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Baiju Dharamarajan, Sushmit Sen and Rex Vijayan,” says Bhattacharya.
