New single by Savera Mehta captures a dystopian romance through music

Savera Mehta. Pic Courtesy/CokeStudioBharat on YouTube

There is a touch of the existentialist that lurks within every songwriter. Savera Mehta though admits that it is a natural bent of his personality. His latest single, Love Lost, captures a melancholic and dystopian romance through pulsing electronic synth and rhythms. Released last week, the song is the first of more such releases to come this year.

It is also his first independent release in two years, without his friend and regular partner-in-crime, OAFF aka Kabeer Kathpalia. "With the indie stuff, I am not worried about numbers. I am doing it for myself," Mehta tells us. Why the melancholic tone? "Most of my independent songwriting is melancholic," the singer laughs.

Love lost captures a longing between a separated pair of lovers. It has a cinematic setting. "What I tried to do is mix organic elements and electronics to create a contrast," he explains. This contrast makes the composition captivating. With the synth enveloping Mehta's yearning vocals, the song flows with emotion - like waves, Mehta points out.

The wave reference recalls the visuals of Gehraiyaan, Shakun Batra's 2022 film that marked a new chapter for Kathpalia and Mehta's film career. While Mehta debuted with NH10 in 2015, the independent soundtrack for Gehraiyaan took the duo to another level. "It [the success] has altered and reaffirmed our styles," he admits, adding, "In a way, it made us look at songs differently."

It helps to have a work-partner in Kathpalia. Having met in their teenage years, the duo started out with a punk rock band back in school. "We used to play covers for Blink-182 and Ramones among others," he recalls. They recently spent over 10 days at Mehta's Goa residence for a songwriting workshop.

They have also been busy doing collaborations with Punjabi singer Burrah for Coke Studio Bharat's Udja, and Lothika for Feel you now. Such experiments are necessary, and something the singer enjoys. For instance, he reveals that his coming works will deviate from his English lyrics. "As I have been writing for films, I have also been studying Hindi lyric writing."

The result will be a first set of Hindi releases this year. "Love lost set the ball rolling. The following releases will be staggered over a month and a half between them. We might club them into an EP later," the composer shares.

With more film productions and collaborations on the cards, the composer is also looking forward to being live on the stage. He joined OAFF at VH1 Supersonic earlier this year. "It was insane. I even wished I was in the crowd just to get a sense of the vibe," he admits.

Log on to: Love lost on Spotify