Taking the right notes from Cal

Nischay Parekh and Jivraj Singh

We haven't been to Kolkata. That's the conversation starter we opt for, when speaking to Nischay Parekh of the dream pop duo Parekh and Singh. Their latest album is called Science City, inspired by the largest science centre in the Indian subcontinent. Images of domes and dinosaurs surface on Google, but we can imagine it takes more dexterity to capture the essence of a place with imagery - like the duo does with their music. "As a concept, Science City is a microcosm of Kolkata. It conveys the idea of an entertainment that used to exist," Parekh tells us.

After performing in Kolkata, both he and drummer-producer Jivraj Singh were scheduled to perform in Mumbai and Delhi this week. "But we ended up selling more tickets than we expected and the logistics didn't allow for that," Parekh explains, adding that new dates will be announced today.

Science City, Kolkata

If Ocean, their debut album, felt like a Wes Anderson movie, Science City feels like a film directed by architect Le Corbusier. "We've consistently worked with the same people to build this aesthetic - director Misha Ghose, for instance. And you know, we really haven't made that many videos but it somehow seems like we have. So, it's important to attain that level of comfort with your team. But we've spent a long time figuring out how people would want to watch our live performances. And for the first time, we're going to be playing with a full band set-up that includes synth artiste Rohan Rajadhyaksha for our Mumbai show. We really want to get it right," Parekh asserts.

The album is dedicated to Singh's parents - he lost his mother, noted vocalist Jayashree Singh last year. "Back in 2009, when we weren't even a duo, his parents gave us a space to do this. I played with them a couple of times and just the way in which they had music in their lives influenced me a lot," Parekh shares, proceeding to talk about what he's looking forward to the most at the upcoming gig. "Hopefully, the Mumbai audience isn't fed up with our change of dates. I hope they can make a connection with our music and celebrate that."

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