Evolving sounds and rhythms

Music, like any other art form, is open to interpretation. Sounds become words and when you combine the rhythm, melody and lyrics, you get a novel of epic proportions. Guitar riffs, digital sounds, progressive tunes and upbeat notes all combine to make a story whose narration is continously evolving. A Bengaluru-based band, ‘Traces’ works to be a part of this evolution with its progressive rock beats and post metal jams.

Started in 2012 by Hitesh Mittal and Dileep Malick, the band has seen a transformation in terms of its music and band members. Says Dileep, the vocalist, “Over the years, we have seen the line-up change a lot,” to which Shreyas Aakarshan, the bassist, adds, “I joined the band earlier this year, after the previous bassist left for the US. Our current drummer, Vivian Christopher, replaced Abhinav Yogesh, who shifted to ‘Inner Sanctum’.” Now that they are set, they have been jamming and writing songs, with Hitesh as the guitarist. 

Dileep adds, “Hitesh used to be a part of another band but he left because he had a different musical ideology. I met him at a bar where we got talking and that’s when the idea came up — to create a colossal that appeals to all our music aesthetics.

Taking inspiration from progressive bands like ‘Porcupine Tree’, ‘Karnivool’ and ‘Meshuggah’, ‘Traces’ creates live sounds that aren’t in any set pattern. “We concentrate on sound design. It’s not just about the music but our sets are designed in an unconventional way. Like we don’t use analogue pedals. We are very particular about how we sound off and on stage,” says Shreyas. He also mentions that they prefer playing live gigs as they rake in more money. Elaborating on this, Dileep says, “We named the band ‘Traces’ because our music is left to the listener to interpret.”

With a three-song EP out already, the band is getting ready to record three more songs for this year. Terming the music ‘deep and thoughtful’, Dileep says, “The titles of the songs are pretty self-explanatory, but there are sub-texts. A listener dives in with each line and the themes reach out but the core of the song lies in the title. One song, ‘Unthought’, is about not conforming, breaking away and thinking about things that most people take for granted. ‘Belief’ is about having the conviction to carry yourself forward in a discordant society, and ‘Coy’ is about being shy about things that are happening around us. ‘Residue’ is about embracing the moment, the here and now.”

Although only one of them — Vivian — is a full-time musician, the others make sure they dedicate the required time to the band and the sounds. With the aim to move forward and experiment, ‘Traces’ is a band to look forward to this year.