JOIN USMusic for ‘Drown Silence’ is about celebrating life and expressing themselves. It has no boundaries and breaks all social and gender barriers to reach out to people who enjoy music. For ‘Drown Silence’, music is much more than the song, lyrics and sounds. It is a journey that comes with experience.
‘Drown Silence’ was started early this year, and four months down the line, the band has already performed at various hotspots in the City. Distinct sounds of gothic rock, jangle pop, noise pop, indie rock, indie pop and punk pop can be heard in the alternative rock band’s music. “There is a bit of rap, some ambient noises, a little bit of punk, metal and some screaming going on. Some of our songs don’t have the typical verse-chorus-verse structure either. It just happens on spot and we jam depending on your mood,” says Prasanna, the bassist.
The other members include Sam on vocals, Unnikrishnan on drums, Sharjes on guitar and vocals and Shiv on guitars and vocals. What brought them together was their shared love for music. “Some of us worked in the same office and had friends who played instruments. During our break time, we would start jamming in the office to create more music. Our first gig was at the ‘Hard Rock Rising 2015’ contest in Bengaluru, where we finished as runners-up. It was a good experience; we did not expect it to go so well. The audience loved our sounds and we received some overwhelming response from the people,” says Sam.
The band draws inspiration from different rock or metal genres and is very experimental. It is inspired by artistes like ‘Linkin Park’, ‘Limp Bizkit’, ‘Korn’, ‘Papa Roach’, ‘Pink Floyd’, ‘Metallica’ and ‘Led Zeppelin’. “We have a song called ‘Restart the Machine’ that sounds more like a doom metal song, and in contrast we have ‘This Is Why I Love You’, which has a hip-hop style beat and is a love song. This variance in style is not something we had to consciously cultivate,” says Sharjes.
All the band members have day jobs, and fitting in band practice and gigs to their already hectic work schedules gets tricky. “We try to give our best in every jam session and push our boundaries with the kind of sound we can create. The songs we’ve put out so far have all been recorded, mixed and mastered at home. We try to find time and balance between work, our personal life and passion for music. Our jam sessions are fun and stress-free, which makes us all want to practise as often as possible,” adds Shiv.
“Bengaluru has always had a vibrant music scene. The City has not fallen under the curse of the one-genre city. Bands also have a decent amount of venues to perform at. Establishments are willing to give new bands a chance to perform. The City could do with a little bit of street music as music is very primal. It has the potency to bring people together like no other art form. It is a great time to be a musician,” sums up Unnikrishnan.