Week on Week: The VICE India Mixtape

Attempting to keep up with new releases is exhausting. And the never-ending quest to discover an act before they hit >1,000 plays on Bandcamp is all but rewarding. Having given up full-time music writing a little while ago, more often than not, I find myself feeling a mix of FOMO and IDGAF about new, local music while compiling my Spotify playlists. With this feature, we (that is, I) aim to put together a weekly mixtape with inputs from VICE India staffers—across all departments—without being a judgemental asshole.

“This song has all sorts of feels. It can make me happy and at the same time, emotional. The music is so nostalgic and cinematic and the words so free-flowing and comfortable. The little bit between Alex and Jade in the middle of the song just adds so much more to it. In this house of a world, I just want to be home and this band makes me feel so with this song.”
—Pooja Pillai, Executive Producer and So Ji-sub stan. Yes, she wants to lick him.

“'Agape' is the first track to be released from the OST to Barry Jenkins' upcoming feature, 'If Beale Street Could Talk.’ I have listened to this on loop, lying in bed with my eyes closed. It makes me think of a snow-covered landscape, except it's not cold at all. And the snow is amaltas flowers. And there's a woman and a man, and I don't know what they're feeling, but they're together and the flowers are falling on them, and all around.”
—Shrishti Malhotra, Researcher and (self-proclaimed) Smita Patil cosplayer

“There's something in the water in Sweden. They can't write a song without a hook that rattles around your brain for weeks (even when they do faux Satanic metal, it's pop gold). Robyn—the high-priestess of everything Swedish and hooky—just dropped her first album in eight years and it's taken me back to her all-time classics, including this one, which melds heartbreak with a throbbing synth bassline. She's dancing away the heartache; as should we all.”
—Shawn Fernandes, Manager, Branded Content Distribution and giver of no-fucks

“There is still honest art in hard, real filmmaking that makes a social commentary. This particular one from The Prodigy, shot somewhere in Southeast Asia, really got me. They've been doing this for years, but their music video game is still as raw and emotionally winding up as it was 15-20 years ago. Hat tip to the movement!”
—Mazher Ramzanali, Experiential and Special Projects Manager, and #Gunner4Lyf

“I was accidentally introduced to this song. I guess different people have their own way to feel certain emotions, or how they feel about people. I found my own way, and I feel him in here; Johnny Depp that is. Yes, I’m a creep.”
—Megha Saini, Social Media Video Editor and self-professed creep

“This has been playing on all our devices at home for the last 18 months. My son says, "Mumma, bus bus!" and I am at his service playing all different versions—English, Hindi, Portuguese, Latin! The rhythm is repetitive, and this is what adults who hear it for the first time say: "It’s hypnotic!”
—Roshni Dutta, Senior Manager, HR and organiser of bowling parties where humans = pins

“Vince FUCKING Staples. What a legend, what a troll, what a rapper! On his new record, FM!—a conceptual album that plays out like a radio show, with promise of heavy features from Earl Sweatshirt and Tyga (???)—he gives us exactly the opposite of those. It is jarring and beautiful at the same time. On “FUN!”, which appears towards the latter half of its relatively short play time, Staples brings forth his classic straight face, layered commentary in what does appear like a pop, radio-friendly single, with a kickass video to boot. Lest we forget, Earl did make a cameo, but also blessed us with this hard AF new tune last week.”
—Naman Saraiya, Producer and often-wondering-why-life-is-a-suxx

Check out our previous editions here.