Listen: 'Stepping About' By Tushar Mathur Ft. Shayan Roy

Many of us have been spending more time than usual on social media during this lockdown, looking at memes, videos, connecting with loved ones and so on. And there's one narrative in particular that's been gaining traction as the subject of social discourse – the devious impact of capitalism on each one of us.

More and more people appear to have gained sentience to the damage imposed on the world and on the narrative of humanity itself by capitalism, phenomenon such as: equating one's self-worth to one's productivity, a restless impulse to be productive or profitable, the need to constantly consume content, hard work being lauded as the foremost virtue, and so on. At the end of the day, it all seems to simply be capitalist agenda designed to maximise human (labour) efficiency and potential, and to put it simply, convert working people into an efficient resource, designed to generate profits.

This is a narrative that millennials in particular have grown up with, leading to a debilitating mental health pandemic across the generation. And this is the subject of Bangalore-based musician Tushar Mathur's new single 'Stepping About', which talks about “our generation's big battle between hustle culture and the counter culture of self-care”.

“There's just so much we think we have to be jumping at to make it in this world where productivity is our measure of self-worth; and this glorification of the hustle is burning us out,” says Mathur.

In an act of rebellion against this capitalist hustle, Mathur employs looped guitars, slick basslines and laidback melodies to release a smooth, wavy neo-soul and R&B number, featuring rapper and content creator Shayan Roy, that encourages one to take a step back and relax, spelling it out in so many words on the chorus: “I spend my time, ignorin' doubt, stepping 'bout, tryin' out. / But at times, I need to chill out.”

Listen to 'Stepping Out' below: