People to Meet, Places to See is a record that captures the energy, unpredictability and color of life on the road. Written while touring across India — the album unfolds like a sonic diary where each track is tied to a city, a person or a memory from travel.
Cubbon Park invites the listener in — the mood is joyful. It is the kind of song whose tune lingers in the head long after it is over.
The track sets the tone of the album with a groove that feels like a Sunday morning walk. It features voice notes and snippets from fans spending their Sundays at Cubbon. The accompanying music video pays tribute to the iconic park capturing everything one might do while visiting.
The description under the video reads: –
This is our ode to Bangalore. As a Bangalore band, we had to write a song that captures the feeling of going to Cubbon Park on a Sunday morning. From going for a run, to taking your dog for a walk, to going to Airlines hotel for breakfast, etc.
Jonty Patel is an interesting name for a song. There’s a texture to their jazz. Complex time signatures meet effortless grooves and both you and your daddy can dance to the tune.
Born from a moment of onstage banter, this playful song captures the humor and energy of the band. Funky, unpredictable and full of personality — much like the character it’s named after. “Jonty” is what Jason (the band’s drummer) is called at home while “Patel” was chosen through an audience poll that unanimously voted for it.
Ratna Mahal is a hypnotic track that feels like stepping into a timeless palace of sound. During their debut 6-city India tour, the band stayed at a modest hotel named Ratna Mahal in Andheri East, Mumbai. The track is a tongue-in-cheek tribute to all the budget hotels that touring bands inevitably come to experience.
The song has a serpentine quality of style. There are glorious echoes of Dave Brubeck as well as Herbie Hancock but — The Cats are composing something extremely original.
Maya is tantric jazz. The sounds take after Glass Beams — the listener can hear the parallels from Beams’ EPs — Mahal and Mirage.
Maya is undoubtedly the album’s most experimental track, drifting between Indian classical influences, Spanish jazz and music inspired by Tigran Hamasyan. The addition of Varun Nimbolkar on sitar elevates its vision to powerful effect.
Techno Police is electro jazz from future. The infusion of two different genres – one jazz – another techno – sounds off — but both the genres are about highs and lows. Jazz sounds embraced around electronica result in a sublime effect.
What began as a simple idea — “let’s make a techno song” — quickly became an audience favorite. Premiered live in Mumbai, the overwhelming crowd response cemented its place on the record. Featuring Aadarsh Subramanium on synths and sampling, the track blends EDM, Drum & Bass, House and Techno influences with the band’s signature sound, hinting at where their music may be headed next…
Do you play the Techno? is an interlude inspired by a fan’s question to Jonty. The track playfully nods to house and techno inspirations that are reframed through the band’s jazz-funk sensibility.
Leticia is the final and most poignant track on record. Named after Derek’s grandmother, it explores the fear of losing someone deeply loved. Melancholic yet hopeful, the piece is melodic, soulful, and cinematic — a poignant farewell that feels like the end of a journey. The track also features guitarist Blesswin Winco who is a longtime friend of the band. After he spontaneously joined the Cats on stage during a Bangalore show to play this song, the connection was undeniable — and it became clear that his guitar had to be part of the final recording. Leticia is a good goodbye.
From the groove of Cubbon Park to the hypnosis on Ratna Mahal, the funk of Jonty Patel to the high-octane energy on Techno Police, the album reflects the band’s signature blend of jazz, funk, and house — reimagined as instrumental dance music. Every song carries the spirit of movement: trains, crowds, cities and the conversations that happen in between.
People to Meet, Places to See is a jazz oracle that will get better with age.
