Haiku Combines Contemporary Songwriting With Progressive Jazz On Raw EP 'Surfacing'

Bangalore has cultivated a new 6-piece group, Haiku, born out of a student-teacher collaboration between vocalists Paro Mukherjee and Suki Kurpad, drummer Om Iyer, violinist Mihir Rajeev, bassist Daniel Sundaram and Sulk Station's Tanvi Rao on keys.

Consequently, there is no dearth of clever melodic runs, harmonic colours or rhythm changes on their debut EP 'Surfacing'. Yet, the highlight remains the simpler songwriting that is backed by it.

The 5-track EP presents its compositions matter-of-factly, with no pomp in its productions or arrangement save for the occasional violin break that breaks the consistency of keyboard harmonies and riffs, which provide the unifying fabric while bass and drums give it foundation and vocal melodies build upon it all. The only flourish then is what's inherently in the compositions: the cascading sway of 'Morning come gently', the pattering runs across scales on 'Cycle Breaker', the vocal harmonies running away and back into each other against held violin notes on 'Lone empire'.

Just when the simplicity of the "song" might start to get stagnant, the instrumental sections jump in with their dynamic changes. All of this is presented with a rawness that keeps you (sometimes jarringly) intimate with the performance. Once you get comfortable with that, this is progressive jazz that you might find yourself humming.

Listen to 'Surfacing' below and follow Haiku for more.