Gulps of joy with the music of Parekh & Singh

There’s always a point in life when listeners are out for a bite of sun, moon and June in the music of their favourite act. These listeners grow up and want even the most joyful of emotions to feel like heartbreak. The years roll on and there is a call for lyrical tension. The music of Parekh & Singh is growing up but at the same time one can feel their lyrics continue to enjoy a swing in the hammock, eyeing a lazy sun, sipping a Dirty Shirley. All is not right with the world but the duo — now global citizens as Nischay Parekh nurtures his drinks in Dubai, forcing Jivraj Singh to collect air miles — still offer a semblance of balance, like on their new album The Night Is Clear. Here’s what came out of a heart-to-heart.

What prompted the album title, The Night is Clear? What message do you want the title to offer?

Nischay Parekh: For me, the title speaks of a mysterious fantasy. I was inspired by book titles and wanted the album to feel like a novel of sorts. I would like the listener to dive deep into the characters and stories on this record, and luxuriate in the feeling of being engulfed in something expansive.

Jivraj Singh: The title and many of the lyrics made me think of Hymns to the Night by Novalis. I think the sonic mood of the record is in keeping with the sensation of reading the Hymns. A good message would be to remember that the quiet night offers not just the ideal context for sleep, but also the ideal context for contemplation.

Where does the new album fit in for a listener who has been following Parekh & Singh’s journey and the albums Ocean and Science City?

NP: This one has some of the sunniness and enthusiasm of Ocean, but it’s also got a lot of grey colours and moody turns. I feel like it’s decidedly different to Science City. It’s us at our most mature I feel. It’s the most introspective and specific record in our short catalogue.

The world has gone through a churn since Science City released in 2019. What have been some of the personal upsides that encouraged you to record new music or find time to re-evaluate priorities?

NP: My life has changed a lot since 2019. I moved to a new country, got married and started a new life essentially. I have found more structure and focus in my activities as a human on this planet. I like to do everything with a lot of enthusiasm and intention now, even if that’s lazing on a couch and watching TV. A lot of my time is also spent living a shared life with my wife, doing regular things like exercising together or going to buy groceries. All this simplicity and clarity has definitely informed my creative practice in a positive manner.

JS: The structure of my life has not changed much, if at all, since 2019. The only major change has been my withdrawal from all social media and communication applications for cellphone, leading to a drastic decrease in my screen time on cellphone and computer. The resultant improvement in my life experience has been nothing short of mind-blowing.

Nischay, I gather you have lately been shuttling between Dubai and Calcutta. One’s environment may have an influence on the music that gets made. Has that been the case for both of you?

NP: Living in Dubai has definitely changed how I view the world. It’s a truly cosmopolitan city, with people and cultures from over 200 countries. I also feel being away from a regular musical community has resulted in me being free of any external trends/influences. I’m not sure if that’s a god or bad thing, I definitely feel like I create stranger ideas now that I’m a little more isolated creatively.

JS: A consequence of Nischay’s move is that I have been shuttling between Calcutta and Dubai as well — a change of scene that has been consistently invigorating.

By the time it’s time for a third album, many musicians feel the danger of falling into a thought pattern or a musical pattern? How have you managed to stay away from such categorisation or mental trap?

NP: I’ll quote Greg Saunier, the drummer of one my favourite bands, Deerhoof. “When we set out to do something on a record, the way it turns out is something else completely. If I’m honest it’s a little bit intentional, if I think about examples in music history — David Bowie or something, acts that reinvent themselves, they’re great role models for us. For us it’s a tool for longevity, which is hard to do in a trendy music world. Our strategy is, if it seems like a music writer is about to figure out what we do, we better contradict it as soon as possible so that writer is confused again.” This truly sums up how I feel about categorisation and musical choices.

JS: Good quote!

An album is never about “just” an album. You have to think of other things, like promotion and concerts. Are you thinking about doing things differently from what you have done with Ocean or Science City?

NP: We definitely have clearer visions for what we would like to share with our fans now. Our strategies have also simplified. We would simply like to play very intentionally produced concerts. We’ll start with India and hopefully travel West after that.

JS: It would be nice to travel East, too!

From Ocean to Science City to The Night Is Clear... what do you look for when you make a record, like what are the qualities by which you judge your own record when you play it back?

NP: I want the record to sound timeless, and I don’t like to be able to identify too many obvious stylistic tropes. At the core of it I want to be moved by what I listen to.

JS: Making records is very educational. It is quite challenging (and also stimulating) to try to strike a balance between being creative as a musician, and wise as a co-producer.

Do you see anything happening on the current music scene that strikes you as good?

NP: I feel musicians are currently locked in a struggle with social media. We’re constantly asked to make things that fits the technology. Unfortunately, a lot of musicians have to buckle to this pressure due to financial realities or a fear of the algorithmic overlord banishing them from the kingdom. I like artistes who are not playing that game, like Shantanu Pandit and Disco Puppet (my old friend Shoumik Biswas, also originally a Calcuttan).

JS: There seems to be a palpable new energy in Calcutta. While I am sketchy on the details, the impression I have is one of enthusiasm, creativity and enterprise.

For some, the pandemic brought in a routine. Do you set aside a certain amount of time during the day for songwriting or composing? What’s the process like?

NP: I go through phases of a disciplined routine and total chaos. I personally am very project based. I like to create systems and organisation based on an eventuality. So when there’s a show to play, I will practise and prepare myself. When there is an album to record, I will try to be intentional with a writing schedule.

JS: We both like to geek out on music and creativity in general. Whether or not we’re actively working on P&S, we’re definitely poking our noses into plenty of inspirational and educational material, some of which will inevitably get synthesised into our work.

Are you still getting the same thrill from performing that you did four-five years ago?

NP: The thrill has increased for me. I was not very well equipped personally to truly appreciate the unique privilege of playing your own music to fans who love and support your work. Anxiety was something that over-rode those experiences. Now I feel more centered in life, and I’ve had to work hard to get here so I would like to play all our concerts as if they will be my last.

JS: The thrill has decreased for me, or at least, it has become focused to the few moments prior to taking the stage. I now feel more of a sense of service to the music. When that service is properly rendered I feel not a thrill, but a mellow warmth. Having said that, there is still plenty of hormonal activity associated with performance in front of an audience: it is generally difficult for me to fall asleep in the wake of a show.

Both of you come across artistic as well as methodical. On the other hand is the business of music which can be brutal. How do you reconcile both these sides while recording an album? Like, do you keep the business aspect in mind?

NP: We are both financially literate. We do weigh out the costs and viability of each of our projects. We like to stay organised and have gotten better at being more economical as a business. That being said we are still looking to grow and like any business, growth requires investment.

JS: The body, mind and soul have to be consistently strengthened and purified to stay on track and stay positive.

Tell us about the routine Parekh & Singh has before you go on stage. What’s your energy like? And how does it feel to be on stage? Can you describe the feeling?

NP: I have a short vocal warm-up that I do and I like to do some micro-meditations throughout the day to help me stay relaxed and present. The energy is actually quite tranquil. We don’t speak much and stay quite still. I guess we like to conserve our batteries for the show.

JS: It feels safe to be on stage.

The two of you have known each other for a very long time. Does that make it difficult to be critical of each other while working on an album?

NP: Our communications with one another has become way more succinct and clear over the years. However, we are never really brutal or negative in our comments. We prefer encouragement and always like offering solutions when it comes to our music. There’s never a situation that can’t be improved or saved.

With quite a few years behind you in the recording business, what have you learned about selling records and singles?

NP: It’s been almost a decade. I feel like I have learned that evolution is critical and staying honest creatively is critical. Everything else is not as essential. It’s my job as an artiste to create beautiful and striking things, they must be potent and they must be authentic to my experience.

JS: Keep proper accounts.

Fast-draw verbal shootout with P&S

What’s the most indulgent purchase you ever made?

NP: A Herman Miller Aeron chair.

JS: A Herman Miller Embody chair.

How many suits do you have and how do you maintain them?

NP: We have eight suits each at this point. We just make sure they’re dry-cleaned regularly and we only wear them for our shows.

JS: Our tailor, Barkat Ali & Bros (located in Dharmatala, Kolkata) advised us not to button the jackets when we hang them up for storage.

How’s your hearing after playing and attending countless concerts?

NP: We are a very quiet band, even our rehearsals are very low-volume affairs. Luckily we switched to in-ear monitoring a long time ago. So we don’t use the loud stage monitor speakers to listen to ourselves, we use a wireless headphone system where the volume can be adjusted and the headphones we use are custom-moulded to the shape of our ears — which means it’s a perfect seal so we don’t hear any outside noise. I personally don’t attend too many concerts as a listener — they are all usually too loud for me. I take extra care to preserve my hearing; I have friends who have tinnitus and hearing issues due to loud and aggressive music.

JS: I try to spend some amount of time every day during which I don’t produce any sound myself, either through speech or action. Instead, I just listen: to the (usually chaotic) sounds of the city around me, while trying to cultivate a cheerful detachment. Occasionally, a joy-inducing sound like birdsong, a child’s laugh, or a rollicking volley of dog woofs will reach me. Such practices have definitely increased my enjoyment of the more “delicious” sounds, made me more sensitive to “disturbing” sounds, and also enabled me to occasionally move beyond the adjectives into the blissful realms of sound in-itself and silence in-itself. Pauline Oliveros, Max Neuhaus and John Cage have been recent sources of inspiration and encouragement in this regard.

What video game(s) is keeping the duo busy these days?

NP: I haven’t played any video games in the longest time. However, I am very keen to play the new God of War game.

JS: To the best of my knowledge it’s not (yet) a video game, but I have been re-reading The Glass Bead Game (or “Magister Ludi”) by Hermann Hesse.