In The Matrix, when Morpheus offers Neo a choice between the blue pill of blissful ignorance and the red pill of harsh reality, we all face an existential dilemma. ‘Never take the blue pill, stay in the wonderland,’ dream pop duo Parekh & Singh (nope, not an accounting firm) says through its second English LP Science City launched recently by London-based Peacefrog Records.
Nischay Parekh and Jivraj Singh’s trademark retro vibe gets a touch of the futuristic this time. Their music and videos produce a technicolour surreal effect expressing “an interest in the universe outside and the universe within”. Shifting approach from its first album Ocean, the duo increases the use of electronic music in Science City. Parekh’s fingers on the synths and his honey-glazed voice with Jivraj Singh’s nuanced percussion suit the album’s spirit.
The 11-track album is for all moods. From a high start with an upbeat ‘Sunbeam’ and ‘Hello’ to the contemplative ‘Summer Skin’, to the creeping ‘One Hundred Shadows’ and back to the breezy tunes of ‘Crystalline’ in conclusion. “A good phrase to sum up this shift (in the album’s tone) is letting go,” says Singh. The most popular track from the album ‘Summer Skin’ is a visual and aural take on modernism. It goes ‘down the rabbit hole’ in search of life’s meaning and concludes that ‘time’s a waste of life’.
As a part of the Science City tour, Parekh & Singh will play across the country, and continue the tour in UK/Europe.
Asked if they have any apprehensions or hopes about the tour, and Singh says, “We expect the best from ourselves and try not to worry too much.”
“We also definitely expect to say hello to a lot of people!” he jokes, referring to their song ‘Hello’.
The duo attributes its eclectic taste to influences such as The Beach Boys, Steely Dan, Hall & Oates, Meshell Ndegeocello, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Drake, Nine Inch Nails, Gyan and Jayashree Singh. Best friends, neighbours and band mates, they find inspiration from the city they call their own: Kolkata.
“The slowness of time in Kolkata allows us to find ideas at a relaxed pace and then work fast to finish making the content,” says Singh. This vintage slowness reflects in their classic deadpan look which has become popular amongst audiences.
“The deadpan look is just us being as neutral and relaxed as we can during shoots,” he says, putting rest to all fan theories on this distinctive style. With neither the numbers of a band nor the independence of an individual, Jivraj tells us how their dynamic as a duo has improved.
“We spend a lot of time together at work and play, and in conversation and silence. We’ve worked as a duo over a long stretch of time and now there is more synergy and ease between us in the studio, and on stage.”
Always suited up in block coloured formals for their music videos and performances, Parekh & Singh attempt a take on what they call ‘the universophere’ with their music.
The duo is performing in Bengaluru on May 12, New Delhi (NCR) on May 17, and at Mumbai on May 25.
Tickets are available at ₹960 per head on www.bookmyshow.com.