In February 2020, Delhi based rock act Kapow! released their debut self-titled EP with their launch gig being something that’s never been seen before in this country. They went full drag in one of the premier venues in India, Kitty Su at the LaliT, New Delhi. All the four members transformed themselves into drag queens for the entirety of the performance and it was nothing short of a riot on stage.
The 5-piece band that started out by covering popular songs in a live set-up soon realized that they too had something to offer. The 6-track album was born out of this need to put something original out. “We’re a young band from Delhi, a little over a year old now. All of us, while quite different, converge on the attitude of never saying no to an idea, no matter how whacky, and that’s what Kapow! is. An ever-experimenting and ever-evolving group of musicians, and that’s what our songs emulate with their variance.” says the band. The album emanates this too. With a wide variety of rock being showcased on it ranging from raunchy classic rock to groovy modern rock with the addition of soft-rock numbers as well. With the EP, the band clearly establish themselves to be more than being cover musicians, an image that they had built for themselves whilst performing heavily around the city at events and gigs. Kapow! will be releasing a new single on the 21st of this month called ‘Sab sunliya’.
The EP starts with an explosion of energy called ‘Want Some Get Some’ reminiscent of the raunchy glam rock era of western music. The EP then meanders into a soft rock number called ‘Underwater Trip’, a funky upbeat track. The band then again kicks it up a notch with ‘Smells like your sex’, a saucy song through and through. ‘Sultana’ is a groovy modern rock track based on rhythm and lush harmonies. The next track is the peppiest out of the lot. ‘Cardio’ is one track to get the party started, featuring a Punjabi Dhol section towards the end. The EP ends on a calmer note with ‘Start Again’, but it doesn’t leave you disappointed.
Overall, Kapow! manages to put out a great collection of originals on their first major release which not only sets them aside from most of the rock acts in the country, but one which also shows the variance in musicianship that the band can make possible for their future releases.
