We all yearn for ‘extraordinary’ in our lives. Extraordinary moments, objects, people and so on. But, sometimes we just need to look around us and we tend to find the extraordinary things that we are chasing so wishfully for in ordinariness. Abdon Mech, the 23-year-old singer-songwriter hailing from Nagaland abides by this philosophy and has replicated the same through his debut EP ‘From A Bamboo Room’.
Talking about his musical background, Mech says, “Music was always in my family because both my parents were musicians and my sister is a musician too. However, since I was in hostel my entire school life, I picked it up seriously only once I got into college. I started writing from an early age but everything took a turn for the serious part only after 2017.” In his formative years, he drew inspiration from western pop music artists like Bruno Major and John Mayer and in his later years from artists such as Young The Giant, Patrick Droney and Prateek Kuhad.
‘From A Bamboo Room’ is a work-from-home project which was composed in nine months. The EP was made in three cities technically – Faridabad, Kohima and Dimapur, as Mech coordinated from Dimapur virtually with the two producers on this EP, Sarthak Pawar from Faridabad and Arennungsang from Kohima.
“There are times when I don’t want to live. But I know at the end of the road, good things are waiting for me.” This is the kind of impactful lyricism that Mech weaves into his songwriting process. His 2020 single ‘Again’ is a hauntingly beautiful and real depiction of thoughts that all of us were having during the pandemic, especially our frontline workers. ‘From A Bamboo Room’ is a simple yet sophisticated enunciation of the everyday, with charming vocals, lush guitar strums and country music feels. It reminds us of the simple things we do when we are in love. Mech’s enchanting vocals along with sombre production on this EP makes it an enthralling listen.
‘Human’, the first track is about the artist’s trials and tribulations. Based on a gentle guitar tune, the song is both lyrically and sonically quite moving. It narrates the very experience of being human, with all our flaws and strengths, to which we can all relate to. ‘Dopamine’ is an endearing love track sung along with Kohima based singer Akhrieze, with sweet vocal harmonies as lovers are longing to see their beloved. Similar to this song is ‘Gonna Be’ where Mech says beautifully “We are living in dangerous times, where love is measured in golden coins. But still for some of us, we live for more.” This is pretty much self-explanatory, and sums up what Mech feels about love. The emotion is love is distanced from its material aspects and celebrated for what it is.
‘Come My Way’, is a hopeful track, where the artist wishes that the universe conspires and his beloved comes along his way. ‘Give Me My Soul Back’ is a personal favourite, and the song’s meaning is open to one’s own interpretation. For Mech, it reflects how the pandemic affected his musical endeavours. The music video shot for this song depicts in a wonderful way how art can win over our oppressors. As compared to the rest of the songs, this track is upbeat with foot-tapping beats.
For Mech’s future endeavours, he plans to do a music tour of the North East and release a few music videos and singles before the year ends. Overall, this album serves as a reminder for us that even in these difficult times, finding hope and joy in simple things can help us sail through life. Mech’s deep vocal capabilities, combined with the poignant production on this EP, add cherry on the top to the meaningful message of living life in a simple way. From A Bamboo Room is an album that touches the deepest parts of your soul and stays in your heart for a long time.
