Songs on the spur

Since its inception, Progressive Rock band Fish in the Sink has been one of the most prominently emerging bands down South. Looking back at the band’s journey, Riju Andrews, lead vocalist, recalls that it wasn’t a bed of roses. “We’ve had our ups and downs. There are four lives involved and bringing everything on the same table is an arduous task. But we do it for the love for music.”

“The band, formerly known as Toddy Waters, was looking for a lead vocalist and that’s how I joined the party,” says Riju. “After a couple of years, there were some changes in the line-up; that was a transitional period for us. We changed our name and here we are.”

Based in Chennai and Kochi, Fish in the Sink describes their music as experimental progressive rock. Their sound is also heavily inspired by grunge. “We do have a lot of taste in common and the grunge bands from the early 90s were more of an inspiration for us. Pearl Jam is one to name. We are not as grunge as them but we took the mantle out of these inspirations. You can definitely see that in our works.” But they are not just that. Fish in the Sink’s fresh, topical music vibe to it is something truly commendable. “The way we compose the lyrics is much more momentary. I usually pen the lyrics and I keep it to the kinds of stuff I can relate to. The next day, it might change or differ from my then mind set. So I like to call it momentary or transient.”  

Apart from Riju, the quartet band features Sujith Valiyaveetil (lead guitarist), Sai Sanjit (bass) and Paul Varghese (drums). The band has released their debut EP (Extended Play), The Seed, this year. Riju says, “The songs are an ode to both the polished thrills of the post-digital world and the pureness of the bygone era.” The EP carries very infectious energy with deep and sometimes glum emotions. And is very addictive.  “Our sound can be best described as a generous serving of tonal dissonances, crushing riffs, and rhythmic sparkle.” The EP is doing the rounds on audio streaming platforms, thanks to the strong vocals  with the adjunct of the lead guitar and the bass which work out perfectly.  

Though they have been successful artistically and won honors at festivals like Strawberry Fields, Riju says that alone doesn’t help the growth of the band. “The Indian music industry is largely film-bound and affects the growth of independent music in the country. There are only very few companies doing events which focus on indie artists. In fact, only a few manage to draw a decent crowd to their shows. The money eventually runs out and the investors lose interest. And what’s left with us even after a decent show, would not be enough for survival.”

But he hopes things are changing and are on the right track. The band has been touring around the country and has lots of projects in the pipeline. “We are working on three songs. They are, Just a Man, Let It All Rain (LIAR) and Repetitions. We are planning to film the performances live and release it as a video album and another video song titled My Land,  in association with Rex Vijayan’s production,” he wraps up.