Sick Industry Infuses Doomer Pop With A Rocker's Energy On Debut EP 'Rust in the Economy'

Delhi's Shreya Gajbhiye has stepped beyond the occasional vinyl DJing, her rock band Ladyship and her job navigating the corporate world as a lawyer, to emerge as a solo singer-songwriter called Sick Industry with the EP 'Rust in the Economy'.

The 5-track release features undeniably pop songwriting, with Shreya delivering clean melodies that are punctuated with layered vocal hooks, synth interludes and, at times, even strings-supported acoustic softness like on the ballad ballad 'Spring Song'. However, the EP is largely decorated with distorted guitar strums and pounding drums while Shreya brings in the attitude of a rocker, especially in the songwriting, which features the flippant snarl that rock allows. The doomer themes across the EP and specially on a track like 'Good News', which is about the idea of achieving and growing in a failing crumbling world, give the overall work a refreshing edge.

At the same time, 'Rust in the Economy' never fully leans into either rock's rawness or pop's pristine decoration and that in turn limits the sonic interest of the work. Specially, when you take into consideration how well the lead single 'Ultimate Simp Song' works by fully embracing the classic format of pop-rock. However, just the boldness to attempt at this combination of genres with the modern doomer outlook makes Shreya's just-beginning journey as Sick Industry worth appreciating.

Listen to 'Rust in the Economy' below and follow Sick Industry for more.