Peter Cat Recording Co. - Artist of the Week
Week 6 - Music's Best Kept Secret
A Swing and A Dance
Peter Cat Recording Co. are an Indian jazz / rock fusion band from New Delhi who have released 8 albums, including Portrait of a Time in 2018, a compilation album which brought greater attention to the European market.
The band are a five piece ensemble whose current lineup consists of Suryakant Sawhney (vocals / guitar), Karan Singh (drums), Dhruv Bhola (bass), Rohit Gupta (keyboard / trumpet) and Kartik Sundareshan Pillai (keyboard / guitar / electronics / trumpet).
Meeting in 2010, the band quickly got to work creating their first studio album, Sinema, which was released on New Years Day 2011. This album kick started the career of Peter Cat Recording Co. and the band members went on tour to promote the album.
After eight years together, Peter Cat Recording Co. signed to French record label Panache in 2018. Shortly after this the band released Portrait of a Time, followed by three studio albums: Bismillah, Happy Holidays and most recently BETA.
If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It
Although there have been a few personnel changes, and Pillai began to incorporate more trumpets in 2014, the core sound of the band has remained the same over time.
They are known for their blend of psychedelic indie and jazz melodies with a hint of disco.
The band produces complex music, yet is easy and fun to listen to. Their music ranges from slower, atmospheric songs such as ‘Hail Piano’ and ‘Shit I’m Dreaming’; songs which carry immense emotion such as ‘I’m Home’ and ‘Heera’; and fast paced, up tempo songs such as ‘Portrait of a Time’ and ‘Memory Box’, bringing more of a swing to Peter Cat Recording Co.’s music.
The songs they release take you back in time to 1930’s and 1940’s America when swing music was at its height. As you listen through Peter Cat Recording Co.’s back catalogue, a feeling of nostalgia hits you, and you picture your elder relatives spending their first dances together.
Vocals on songs such as ‘Love Demons’ and ‘Connexion’ are distant, as if to replicate a performance from a singer who does not require a microphone, with the ability to effortlessly projects their voice to the audience.
The band aren’t afraid to dabble with modern effects such as on ‘Where the Money Flows’. In doing so, they have refreshed an old genre which gets much less airtime and notice than it once had in the previous century.
The bands most recent album, BETA, feels there most mature yet. Each song flows succinctly from one to the next, whilst seamlessly altering the mood of the listener as the band members drift in and out of love, happiness and optimism.
My Take
Peter Cat Recording Co. was first introduced to me by a friend from India and my appreciation for them has been growing ever since. Their talent and love for music shines through, and their dedication to crafting and delivering their vision is remarkable.
I find them interesting to listen to and completely different from anything else I have ‘on-repeat’. They have manage to remain relevant, fun and with a growing mainstream audience. Each new album release cements them as a band that is here to stay and they find themselves headlining shows in some of the industries biggest markets.
Rating
Lyrics: 9/10
Melodies: 10/10
Instruments: 10/10
Uniqueness: 8/10
Overall: 9/10