The Score Magazine February 2020 issue | Page 20

SHREYA BOSE Indie Reviews rap executed to perfection by Princeton Ugoeze Aguocha. This man’s flow is flawless. One (Second Sight): Despite the fact that #selflove and #selfacceptance seem to be everywhere on social media(mostly for influencer marketing), both the terms are often discarded in their truer senses. What does it mean to accept oneself? Mumbai-based duo Second Sight explores the question in their new single One. By drawing their inspiration from the lives and experiences of the queer community, they give the song a rare kind of context. Moving outside the generic calls to “love yourself”, the duo illustrates what self-acceptance can mean to people who are, more often than not, rejected for the simple fact of who they are. The song features a quintet that produces a lush allegro of guitar and synth, syncopated by the R&B-soul-inspired vocal flourish of Anusha Ramasubramoney and Pushkar Srivatsal. Their harmony is reminiscent of Hiatus Kaiyote and brims with delirious grooves and perfectly placed chord changes. A strong but restrained bass ties the whole thing together, as does the effortless 18 The Score Magazine highonscore.com One is a perfect example of good music merging with a great message. Second Sight’s desire to represent those that are often excluded is noble, and they do so with a set of pristinely sculpted sounds. The song is easy to immerse into and speaks to our better instincts throughout. Boi Jaa (Abhilash Choudhury): A perfect song for a quiet, laid- back afternoon of introspection. Guwahati-based singer-songwriter Abhilash Choudhury voices a song of the earth when he sings plaintively of the unceasing march of life. Love, loss, sadness, and fulfillment are mentioned, as the music video moves through shots of rural Assam life. The song is almost meditative, with Abhilash offering a mix of melancholy and acceptance in simple, profound Assamese lyrics. There is a sense of resignation to the fact that life is bittersweet. The gentle charm of a sole guitar can delight and despair, much like the way life flows through joy and