Parekh & Singh

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Parekh & Singh
Also known asNischay Parekh, Zap
OriginKolkata, West Bengal, India
Genres
Years active2011 (2011)–present
LabelsPeacefrog
MembersNischay Parekh
Jivraj Singh
Past membersPedro Zappa
George Dylan
Websitewww.parekhandsingh.com

Parekh & Singh are an Indian dream pop duo from the city of Kolkata in West Bengal. The duo consists of Nischay Parekh (vocals, guitar, synths) and Jivraj Singh (drums, electronics). To date, the band has released three studio albums: Ocean (2013), Science City (2018) and The Night is Clear (2022).

History[edit]

Background[edit]

The two met as teenagers, although they had both attended La Martiniere for Boys. Parekh, who was introduced to pop music by his mother, attended classes at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, before returning to India and relocating to Kolkata to pursue a career in music and songwriting. Singh, meanwhile, was raised in a musical household; with both parents being singers and musicians that would often tour and perform in cover bands.[1] Prior to the two playing together, Parekh sang and played guitar in a self-described "experimental pop" band, The Monkey In Me. The band formed in 2009, while Parekh was still in high school.

Formation, early years and Ocean (2011–2015)[edit]

Initially, the duo performed under the banner of Nischay Parekh in 2011. Although it was ostensibly Parekh's solo project, Singh was a constant collaborator and appeared alongside Parekh for photos and performances. They released an album, Ocean, independently in 2013. The album featured contributions from Singh on drums and percussion, Pedro Zappa on bass and George Matthew Dylan Varner-Hartley (AKA George Dylan) on piano and keyboards. Ocean was well-received in India, with Rolling Stone India naming it as one of the best Indian albums of the year.[2] Two singles were released from the album: "I Love You Baby, I Love You Doll" and "Panda." The duo were then briefly known as Zap in 2014, before changing their name to Parekh & Singh in 2015;[3] inspired by acts such as Simon & Garfunkel and Hall & Oates.[4] By this point, bassist Zappa had moved on to other projects and keyboardist Varner-Hartley had relocated to Canada, thus officially making the project a duo again.

Ocean re-release (2015–2017)[edit]

The band re-released Ocean under their new name in October 2016 on Peacefrog, a British indie label. Parekh & Singh then re-released the single "I Love You Baby, I Love You Doll." Its music video, which was shot on a US$5000 (INR₹322324) budget, featured an aesthetic influenced by the American film director Wes Anderson. It has since garnered over 2,000,000 views on YouTube, considered to be a significant feat for an Indian indie band.[5][6][7] Two more singles were released from the album: "Philosophize" in November 2016, and "Ghost" in May 2017. A music video for the latter, directed by Mischa Ghose, also achieved over two million views on YouTube.[8]

Science City (2018–2022)[edit]

Parekh & Singh finished touring in support of Ocean in February 2018. A month later, the band posted to Facebook to state that new music was imminent. In November 2018, after several teasers via social media, the band released a new single entitled "Summer Skin." The song was premiered on VICE India,[9] and was later selected as one of Rolling Stone India's favourite songs of the year.[10] A music video for the song was released in January 2019, which has since accumulated over 280,000 views.[11]

On January 26, 2019, the band released the single "Hello." It was then revealed that both it and "Summer Skin" would be a part of the band's second studio album. The album was titled Science City, so named after an amusement park in Kolkata.[12] The album was released on April 26 via Peacefrog Records.[13] A third single, entitled "Crystalline," was released on March 15.[14]

While the band were unable to tour over the COVID-19 pandemic, they performed several live-streamed home concerts. They also shared a new stand-alone single in 2020, which was a cover of Radiohead's "Karma Police". In January 2022, they also shared a new single entitled "Chhan Chhan Chhan", which was written for the soundtrack of the Indian dramedy Kaun Banegi Shikharwati. It featured Delhi singer-songwriter Kamakshi Khanna.

The Night is Clear (2022–present)[edit]

In January 2022, the band shared their first proper single in nearly three years, "Je Suis La Pomme Rouge". The band confirmed upon its release that it would serve as the lead single from their then-untitled third studio album.[15] A second single, "Sleepyhead", followed in March. In August 2022, the band shared "The Nightingale" on the 18th and surprise released their third album The Night is Clear on the 29th.[16] A national tour in support of the album followed in October and November 2022.[17]

Discography[edit]

Albums
  • Ocean (2013; re-released 2016 as Parekh & Singh)
  • Science City (2019)
  • The Night is Clear (2022)
Singles
  • "I Love You Baby, I Love You Doll" (2013; re-released 2016)
  • "Panda" (2014)
  • "Philosophize" (2016)
  • "Ghost" (2017)
  • "Summer Skin" (2018)
  • "Hello" (2019)
  • "Crystalline" (2019)
  • "Drum Machine" (2019)
  • "Chhan Chhan Chhan" with Kamakshi Khanna (2022)
  • "Je Suis la Pomme Rouge" (2022)
  • "Sleepyhead" (2022)
  • "The Nightingale" (2022)
  • "C C C" (2023)

References[edit]

  1. ^ Vidhi Doshi (4 January 2017). "Parekh & Singh, the pop princes at the forefront of India's new wave". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
  2. ^ "Best Of Indian Albums 2013". Rolling Stone India. 3 January 2014. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
  3. ^ "Nischay Parekh and Jivraj Singh are now Parekh and Singh -". rollingstoneindia.com. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  4. ^ Rohini Kejriwal (3 May 2016). "In conversation: Nischay Parekh on Parekh & Singh". Red Bull Music. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
  5. ^ Vidhi Doshi. "Parekh & Singh, the pop princes at the forefront of India's new wave". The Guardian. 3 January 2017.
  6. ^ "Kolkata Dream Pop Duo Parekh & Singh Arrives Stateside With Whimsical Debut 'I Love You Baby, I Love You Doll': Exclusive Premiere". Billboard. 17 August 2016.
  7. ^ Abhishek Sikhwal. "Parekh and Singh: The musical suits taking Indian internet by storm". Scroll.in. 16 October 2016.
  8. ^ Goecker, Liesl. "Talking Childhood, Music, and the Making of 'Ghost' with Parekh & Singh". The Swaddle. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  9. ^ Saraiya, Naman. "EXCLUSIVE: Parekh & Singh Shed New Colours On Latest Single 'Summer Skin'". VICE India. Vice Media. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  10. ^ "Best India Singles of 2018". Rolling Stone India. Rolling Stone Magazine. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  11. ^ Murray, Robin. "Track Of The Day 23/1 - Parekh & Singh". Clash Magazine. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  12. ^ "Interview: Indie Pop Duo Parekh & Singh on Their Sophomore Album, Science City". From the Intercom. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  13. ^ "Parekh and Singh - Science City". Rough Trade Records. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  14. ^ "Listen : Parekh & Singh share new pop gem 'Crystalline'". Dubiks. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  15. ^ Paul, Mathares. "Parekh & Singh return with a new single". My Kolkata. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  16. ^ Tagat, Anurag. "Parekh & Singh Capture Magic Realism on 'The Night Is Clear'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  17. ^ "Parekh and Singh announce 'The Night Is Clear' tour". Bandwagon Asia. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
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