‘stay for a meal’ is the perfect title for a debut album that feels like the ideal soundtrack to an intimate house party, a warm, inviting collection of songs that masterfully extracts vulnerability from the listener. Ansh Mehta, at just 23, delivers a stellar record that leaves one genuinely excited for the future of his artistry.
Far from a solitary bedroom project, this record is a sophisticated manifestation of a close-knit creative community. This cohesive vision was brought to life through a commitment to selfless collaboration with a group of multi-instrumentalists across Mumbai and London. Central to this polished sound is co-producer Hersh Desai at Island City Studios, who brought layers of patience and a unique sonic sparkle to the production, ensuring that Mehta’s introspective songwriting was met with a professional, world-class finish.
The experience begins with the opening track, ‘invitation’, which sets the thematic table for what is to follow. Featuring a poem by Isaac Hoeschen regarding the search for shared understanding over a meal, it serves as a literal invitation to the listener to sit down and absorb the narrative. The music accompanying the poem leans into big-band jazz tendencies, utilizing a dramatic score filled with swells and frills that create a sense of theatrical welcome. It is a bold start for a young artist, signaling that this album will not shy away from ambitious arrangements or unconventional structures.
Transitioning from the grandiosity of the opener, ‘own goal’ settles into a catchy, grounded rhythm. It evokes the feeling of huddling with friends for a deep, late-night chat. The track uses understated instrumentation to ease the listener into Mehta’s conflicted state of mind, exploring the internal friction of pivotal life decisions. This ability to pair heavy emotional themes with accessible, head-nodding melodies is a hallmark of the album’s success.
The 70s and 80s-inspired synth-pop of ‘next room’ provides one of the album’s most poignant moments, exploring the artist’s relationship with his family. Despite the uptempo, shimmering arrangement, the lyrics dive into the “indie-pop-bedroom” angst of avoidant relationships and the isolation found within a shared home. When Mehta asks, “why do I feel so far away, to the person in the next room,” he captures a universal feeling of disconnection that is bound to resonate with anyone who has felt lonely even while surrounded by loved ones.
As the album progresses, we see the fruits of Mehta’s collaborative spirit. The energy shifts significantly with ‘passing lanes’, an energy-filled folk-rock tune that highlights the record’s sonic diversity. The track’s driving power and rhythmic urgency owe much to the contributions of Max Hoeschen on drums and Aidan Tucker on additional guitars. Both musicians, members of the rock outfit Outside Voices, were instrumental in shaping the live arrangements that give these songs their organic breath. Their presence transforms the record from a studio project into a living, breathing performance, providing a gritty, propulsive counterpoint to Mehta’s softer vocal delivery.
While the middle of the record — specifically ‘decode’ and ‘trivia’—shares similar sonic palettes that may feel a bit too safe and cause quite a lull to the ear, ‘trivia’ remains an essential narrative piece. It details the desperate, slightly embarrassing urge to collect scraps of an ex-partner’s life through digital “lurking.” It is this level of honesty, admitting to behaviors that are common but rarely discussed, that gives ‘stay for a meal’ its integrity.
The experimental heart of the record is found in ‘recalibrate’, a track that tackles the journey from cognitive dissonance to emotional disrepair. It is followed by the delightful, rhythmically infectious interlude ‘maine’, which serves as a necessary palate cleanser before the album’s emotional climax: ‘build’.
‘build’ is the only track to feature the album’s title lyric and stands as its most complex piece. Set years after the conclusion of a relationship, the music is intentionally discordant, mirroring the difficulty of truly moving on. The narrative culminates in a vulnerable plea: having painstakingly “built a home” for himself, the narrator asks a former partner to simply ‘stay for a meal’. This track is elevated significantly by the Hindustani vocals of Renee Chaurasia, whose neo-classical influence adds an aching, expansive quality to the song. Renee, along with Raaina, provided the lush vocal surprises found throughout the record. Their involvement as true proponents of the work ensures that the album feels like a shared secret, whispered between friends.
The album concludes with ‘appointment with the monkey king’, a metaphorical meeting where the narrator is reminded of his courage and the beauty of hopeful living. It is an introspective piece that confirms the album’s overarching message: while the pain of loss and the struggle for connection are real, the journey ultimately leads toward self-acknowledgement and positive reaffirmation.
Thanks to the steady hand of Hersh Desai and the collective talent of musicians like Hoeschen, Tucker, and the Chaurasias, Ansh Mehta has created a debut that invites us to pull up a chair and stay a while.
