A gleaming electric piano sideswiped by an exuberant organ lick formally introduce us to Nothing Anonymous, a synth-pop outfit hailing from Mumbai. On its debut single ‘Pieces’, the duo, also a part of neo-soul/R&B outfit Kimochi Youkai, choose a lateral shift into synth-heavy production and pop hooks.
Nirmit Shah stacks these synths together, creating a futuristic wall of sound, a foil around vocalist Ambika Nayak’s soaring choruses. All of it kept together by a precise and crisp backbeat. The outfit pays attention to the production throughout, allows quieter moments their time in the sun, which creates a delightful dichotomy that keeps the track exciting and the listener second-guessing.
The act still retains moments like the jazzy chords and melodic interplay emanating more traditional R&B records that call back to their earlier work. The song also takes a smooth turn towards the bridge and sees Nirmit put his chops on full display with a neat little solo that isn’t overambitious. Ambika croons, her lyrics looking inward. She laments of the “broken pieces of my mind” and chooses to instead “let them lie there, I’d like to stay here for a while”.
The duo indicates a shifting perspective: smaller, tighter acts that are of an electronic persuasion. These acts are far-reaching and ambitious with where they want their sound to go, mining away for unique sounds that can capture an audience. With ‘Pieces’, Nothing Anonymous has created a sound that is moody and energetic, one that people might want to see more of, especially live.
