Review

Gouri and Aksha’s debut song breaks barriers of genres

Gouri and Aksha, a singer-songwriter-pianist duo from Mumbai are here with their debut track ‘Look Inside’ offering a fresh and thoughtful perspective of self-revelation. 

The duo features Gouri Ranjit and Aksha Kini. They toured Japan in May this year and opened for singer-songwriter Damien Rice at Sofar Bombay. Their music draws inspiration from Fiona Apple, Sara Bareilles and Hiatus Kayote. 

The catchy intro takes the viewer to the scene of a little girl sitting by a riverside as the sky changes colors. The strong imagery in the video flows with the introspective theme of the song. Elements of nature (including Gouri and Aksha’s own cats, Obito and Pakalu) fit in perfectly in the music video. The lyrics are questions directed to the self and a final reaffirmation to look inside and self-reflect. The duo refuses to shy away from experimentation. The song breaks barriers of genres as it fuses sounds of neo-soul, jazz, ambient and pop. Gouri and Aksha’s voices blend to offer a brooding touch along with the synth harmonies.

The video was illustrated and designed by Pune based illustrator Anusha Menon. The song also features trumpets from Aldrin Dominic Alexander and guitar from Nakul Krishna. Gouri Ranjit arranged the song while Nakul Krishna produced it. The song was mixed and mastered by Ishan Naik. 

The duo describe their music as “honest, fresh and venturous” and plan to release an EP early next year.

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