Mali Releases Her Debut Album ‘Caution to the Wind’

Chennai-born and Mumbai-based artist Maalavika Manoj aka Mali, a familiar name in India’s alternative music scene owing to her lending her voice to works across genres and sporadic single releases, has just dropped her debut album ‘Caution to the Wind’.

At the outset, the 8-track release’s grasp on conventional pop-songwriting offers little of interest beyond the relatability of the lyrics helped by emotive arrangements and vocal delivery. However, ‘Caution to the Wind’ begins to grow for the better mid-way, most notably with 80s-harkening standout number ‘Cabaret’, adding an upbeat yet nostalgic flavour to the already infectious songwriting. The following ‘Age of Limbo’, which was released with a crowd-sourced music video near the start of the COVID-19 pandemic last year, follows suit – hauntingly adding an anthemic darkness to the mix with its brooding string lines. The following album continues to keep the heart-stirring nature of the record up, concluding with ‘Really? Not Really’, the simple arrangement of which lets the prowess of Mali’s songwriting potential successfully shine through.

Listen to ‘Caution to the Wind’ below and head to Mali’s artist profile for more information.

Image by Rema Chaudhary