Artwork inspired by the Mughal era archive Designed by Nisha Vasudevan. | Photo credit: Special arrangement
Consisting of one part introspection with two parts retrospective reflection and grief, Mumbai-based musician Tejas Menon’s new EP makes for an intoxicating lyrical mix. archiveA sense of nostalgia, expressed with the smooth rhythm of the mandolin, sets the tone of the four-track EP, which begins on a meditative note in the prologue, ‘Expiravit in Machina’, where the words “I remember” echo on a loop. The voice belongs to the singer-songwriter’s father, who passed away in 2021, and the audio is extracted from his last video. “It’s when my father was addressing my sister on her 50th birthday. I couldn’t help but think of those words. So, I cleaned up the audio with AI and added it to the EP. It reminds me of Mufasa The Lion King Or the ghost of Hamlet’s father… like he is with us in spirit,” says Tejas.
Although Tejas has based the EP’s emotional moodboard progression on the universality of losing his parents, making it relatable to his listeners, it also has a personal twist – rooted in his complicated relationship with his father.
Tejas Menon | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
,archive It’s not just an attempt to reconcile with the memories of my father, but also a search for my identity on a more literal level. Who I am as an Indian, as an immigrant, and studying my own history,” he shares. As Tejas tells us about his father’s final years, he talks about caring for him in the hospital, when his condition worsened from kidney failure and other ailments.
He elaborates on his father being away from his life for seven years, separating from his mother and leaving for the UAE in 1973. “In the last period, I tried to be a responsible son and be there for them, but in the earlier period I didn’t have the ability to do that. I still regret what kind of son I was. My music, or what I think and write about, is not atonement, but some kind of penance or meditation on what it means to lose something I thought I didn’t care about, but really had no choice. When he died, I was very upset. I think you always try to chase your parents’ approval, and I’m no different,” he says.
Voice of Archie in the Netflix show The ArchiesTejas has released an EP Small victories and two more albums Being alive And make it happenFirst archiveHis distinctive style is a blend of rock, funk, R&B, soul, and electronic, but archive In his words, this is a “significant shift” from his usual expression. This is borrowed from his association with a 2021 documentary titled The Beatles and India and British bands’ visits to India. “I was briefly interviewed for the film, and on its companion album, Indian artists were asked to cover the band’s songs. It was a very interesting thing for me to call in a session Carnatic violinist and track down the 150-year-old violin on the cover. across the UniverseThis music also arises from Tejas’s memories, when his father used to listen to a lot of ghazals and folk music while living in Dubai.
Tejas Menon | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Produced by Tejas, Jehangir Jehangir and Aadil Kurva, the EP uses Indian classical instruments such as the bulbul tarang. Released on Misfits Inc., the album features Tejas on lead vocals and electric guitar, Aadil Kurva on bass, Jehangir Jehangir on drums, Aari Nanji on backing vocals, mandolin and acoustic guitar, Sharad Rao on guitar and Malika Barot on backing vocals.
The title is reminiscent of Tejas’ visits to museums in different countries with his father, as much as it reflects the museum of memories he has in his mind. “I have always loved history. I understand the importance of learning from your mistakes, and it is an interesting way to educate yourself by looking at objects in a museum and understanding them from that perspective. I had it in my mind, but I didn’t understand that there is an internal museum as well,” he adds.
Travel archive The series is not over yet for Tejas. He is already working on it and will compile it into a full-fledged album after the monsoon.
This EP is available on Spotify and YouTube.
