Aditeya Shukla’s latest EP “Just Wait, Sunshine” comes as a breath of fresh air. All the tracks in this EP are reminiscent of the dreamy pop music of the 80s. Aditeya is a singer-songwriter born in Dehradun, Uttarakhand and was raised in New Delhi. Currently, he is an undergraduate student at Stanford University majoring in aerospace. At a tender age of six, he began to learn to play the piano, and soon after guitar and drums followed. He started producing and writing his own music in 2017, and subsequently in May 2020, he released his first EP- ‘Out of the Blue’.
Aditeya’s musical influences range from The Beatles, ABBA to contemporary indie pop musicians such as Boy Pablo and JAWNY. His latest EP, ‘Just Wait, Sunshine’ incorporates tracks with funky-pop music and cheerful sing-along vibes. Lo-fi beats along with witty lyricism makes this a pretty whimsical album. All the tracks have a feel-good element to them, and become instant mood uplifters. Rhythmic, foot-tapping music with gentle soft-rock tunes and Aditeya’s deep vocals allows us to have a visceral listening experience. Thematically, the songs are based on love, heartbreak and questioning the concept of zodiac signs. He also draws inspiration from the Japanese city pop music of the 80’s with bright guitars and catchy basslines present in tracks such as ‘Magic Ways’ by Tatsuro Yamashita and ‘Plastic Love’ by Mariya Takeuchi.
The first song, ‘Uncertain-tea’ begins with a fun and melodious intro. Lyrically, it is about the feeling of uncertainty in a relationship. This track hits the sweet spot with Aditeya’s charming vocals, harmonies and a gentle guitar riff. Overall, it’s a cheerful track, even though lyrically it is about the feelings of confusion and one-sided love. ‘Just Wait, Sunshine’ is an upbeat-peppy track. It is about restoring faith and self confidence in someone and making them realize that their partner is not suitable for them.
‘Zodiacs Are Stupid’ is one of the quirkiest tracks on the EP. The track elucidates how believing in zodiac signs is stupid and the predictions don’t really come true in real life. Sonically, it seems to blend electro-pop music with disco beats of the 80’s, which is quite catchy and melodious to hear. There’s even a small rap verse by Aditeya which highlights the frustrations that come with interpreting zodiacs and palm reading.
‘Half Moon Outro’ gives a soothing finish to the EP, with trance like electronic beats and an overall calming tune. Further Aditeya says about this EP, “When I started working on this EP, I was determined I wanted to make something happy that anybody could bop their head to with a smile on their face. I was focused on making my guitars sound bright and sweet as well as my drums being punchy enough to carry the beat forward.” Aditeya wishes to explore every type of sound he can and keep trying out new musical techniques.
When asked about how he strikes the right balance between his studies and his musical endeavours, Aditeya explains, “It’s often hard to find the right balance between academics and making music. Fortunately, music has always been the space for me to enjoy and rejuvenate myself. So even if I spend the whole day working on music, I won’t be too tired to study right after. I think it’s important to find something for yourself in which you lose all track of time because it almost takes you to another world and when you come back, you never feel like you ‘worked’ at all.”
Giving advice to the other upcoming indie musicians out there, he says that they should learn to have fun with the process of making music. He adds that there will be days of frustration, when working on a single element for an entire day, but reminding oneself that they want to have fun while making music can go a long way in getting over roadblocks.
‘Just Wait, Sunshine’ is a fun-filled and tasteful EP, with the right mix of dreamy lo-fi and electro-pop music. Listening to the EP makes you feel motivated and happy about life, no matter what the situation is. Aditeya Shukla definitely has a promising musical career ahead of him, as he has the ability to blend a variety of musical genres together and come up with something absolutely unique and catchy. We are sure to bop our heads and dance to this EP and expect more such vibrant EPs in the coming future.
