A happy coincidence

The Post rock group says the genre came to them incidentally

August 04, 2013 01:15 pm | Updated November 17, 2021 12:21 pm IST - Bangalore

Members of the rock group, Farfetch'd.

Members of the rock group, Farfetch'd.

It is a slippery slope when you start off as a studio-only project, but Farfetch’d have overcome that by putting out a stellar, dreamy post-rock album called The Alchemist , which not only put their name among the new crop of Bangalore artists trying something different, but also gave credibility to the existence of a post-rock scene in the city.

Unlike the last band we featured (Machine Era), Farfetch’d are yet to debut live, members Akash Murty (guitars, bass, drums) and Kasisnu Singh (keyboards, synth) are eager to go live, knowing that gigs are a sure-fire way of spreading the band’s eclectic, soft brand of instrumental rock. “Work is in progress on getting a line-up for live acts, but we don't want to rush things. And the nascent nature of post-rock in Bangalore only makes us want to do it right,” says Singh.

You guys play music because

“We started producing ambient music without really having a generic concept in mind. We recognized ourselves as a post-rock project by relating our music with many of the established post-rock bands out there, only after a couple of our tracks were recorded.

“Thus, post-rock as a genre came to us incidentally, and was not predetermined. Later on, our influences caught on and we started sounding more specific,” says Murty.

You’ll still remember the time when

“Well, as a young project this entire journey has been memorable and it is only getting started,” says Singh.

Toughest part about being a young band

Says Murty: “Getting exposure. It’s an unavoidable situation. Getting new audience to listen to your tracks everyday is not an easy task. Being socially active, playing gigs, establishing a fan base, blogging, are all contributing factors for getting good exposure. Besides this, there are so many other issues a new band might face. Getting the right tone, finding a place to jam, getting the tracks recorded, finding gigs, hooking up with artist initiative programs. These are all issues they’ll gradually figure out over time. Everything inherently has a learning curve!”

Story behind the name

Says Singh: “Although we had both watched Pokémon growing up, it was purely coincidental, and a happy one at that. We didn't realize this until two tracks had already been released, and by then we just liked the name too much to do anything about it. The name Farfetch’d came up in a conversation during the early months and it just had to be.”

Musicians that inspire you

Besides the rain, a cloudy day, an early morning cigarette, we are influenced by bands such as Sigur Ros, Explosions in the Sky, Tides From Nebula, This Will Destroy You, Anathema and Warren Mendonsa (Blackstratblues)

Compositions over covers

Post-rock covers are in themselves a rarity, but Farfetch’d are willing to have a go at it, given a chance. Says Singh: “We think playing covers is great and Farfetch’d may have a few surprises in store in that direction. Also, we both agree – and we're sure every other musician does too – that covering artists you look up to is a great way to begin exploring music as a musician, which is very different from being a listener. You get to learn different musical styles, and it really helps you mature in the way that you write your own music. Also, it is incredibly fun. Aside from covers, we love writing and we love our music just as much.”

Follow Farfetch’d on www.facebook.com/farfetchdind or listen to their debut album, The Alchemist, on farfetched-official.bandcamp.com

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