The Indian independent music landscape is flush with examples of exquisite bands that have sported the age-old genre of hard rock, introducing their own flavour to it while effectively paying homage to the elements that define the genre. Mumbai based rock and roll outfit ‘Gin City’ have done that exact thing with their debut album “All That There Is”. Established back in May 2019, founder and vocalist/guitarist Shishir Singh used it as a conduit to channel his penchant for hard rock, along with his brother Swapnil Singh on the drums, as they began penning down their original material. The 4-man lineup was later completed with guitarist Nikhil Sinha and bassist Kaustubh Meher.
The band’s debut album came shortly after the release of their singles in 2020 as an all-out homage to the rock and roll soundscape. The 7-track album is plush with the familiar hard rock elements championed by the bands of yesteryear layered with some of the band’s originality and creative rendition of the modern age of music.
It wouldn’t take long for the audience to draw parallels to their style of music with classic 80s and 90s rock bands such as Green Day and Foo Fighter. However, various nuanced musical elements such as the vocal quality and the guitar tones that give the style a unique touch throws light on the creativity and originality of the members of the band. “I’ve always tried to keep the melody fun yet touched everyday topics we don’t openly talk about, especially in India”, said Shishir Singh. The lyrical layout is intricately crafted around a bevy of themes and emotions spaced out in different tracks in the album. While ‘Animal’ delves into an individual’s drive to find his self-confidence, ‘Secrets’ speaks about intricacies and complexities of a modern relationship and personal lives. “The themes on this album range from geopolitical issues to mental health, self-confidence and the complexities in interpersonal relationships”, a band member said.
Gin City’s release of “All That There Is” has helped them achieve some recognition in the indie rock and roll community and they would soon be coming out with a couple of music videos following the impressive response from fans. The band’s quality of production and the level of finesse achieved in their creative process ensures that more and more people are introduced to their polished and admirable work.
