With the independent scene slowly finding some breath again after a long time around the country, it's interesting to see a lot of genres come back to prominence, especially with Electronic Music, Progressive/Post Rock Music and Instrumental Rock hitting the Apple India charts and making waves around the country. One such genre that has not seen this rise is that of Grunge. Yes, most of you might remember Grunge as the genre that killed Heavy Metal in the 90's, or remember it as the period of the rise of your favorite bands such as Nirvana, Soundgarden, Alice In Chains and many others. But inspite of whatever view you might have on the genre, you can't deny that has produced some music defining records. [caption id="attachment_6704" align="aligncenter" width="770"] Photo by Sam Manas[/caption]

THE PORTRAIT OF DALI

The same is somewhat embodied by the first EP effort by the New Delhi based Grunge band 'Mocaine'. The EP titled 'Portrait Of Dali' features five songs, and it's nice to see that two of those songs are recorded live. Not many bands record live anymore and it's always commendable to see an effort like that come out well. Through and through, the EP would sound quite unique and different to Indian ears, but it certainly draws inspiration from the quintessential Grunge sound of Nirvana and so on. The record 'In Utero' certainly comes to mind when listening to this raw collection of tracks. What is even better is that the band takes this sound and puts it on steroids (The outro of 'Stella' being a perfect example of such craziness). Most of the music has been written by their frontman and guitar player Amrit Mohan and the record is mixed by Aman Arakh (Track 1-3) and Amrith Ragunathan (Track 4,5).Whilst the record could  have had a bit more production value, the rawness of the sound definitely helps the compositions. As a first attempt, Mocaine's 'Portrait Of Dali' certainly provides a grim look into the modern day life we live in through its power and intensity. It's a must listen for a gloomy, wet afternoon when you're irritated and angry because your pizza delivery is already 20 minutes late.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMm5zuUWoTQ&feature=youtu.be 'Portrait Of Dali' is available to stream almost everywhere! Head over the social media links of the band to check out their music/buy their merch: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mocaineisaband/ Soundcloud: https://mocaine.bandcamp.com