Avi Misra, a Melbourne-based, Indian singer-songwriter and producer, has released his fourth album, Sketches by the Birrarung.
The release is the latest in a 10-year project, grown from its beginnings in New Delhi.
With Sketches by the Birrarung, Avi Misra takes familiar electronic rhythms and guides them through a maze of new structures, timbres and melodies.
Pulling from cultural influences that characterise Indian songwriting styles, Misra has carved a unique pocket in the ofttimes impenetrable landscapes of synthpop and darkwave.
This latest effort is certainly no exception to that rule. Sketches takes conventional approaches to these genres and remoulds them to take on a new form. The result presents familiar electronic elements underlying new song structures, timbres and melodies.
Additionally, the soaring and operatic timbre of Misra’s vocals serves as another element that sets his work aside. Trained as a classical Hindustani vocalist, Misra’s baritone paints the entire record with a hefty, yet enthralling darkness.
This tonal darkness lends itself to the lyrical themes driving the album. It is a highly reflective exploration of immigration, belonging and identity.
“Million years now, we’ve been going, ever-moving, ever-flowing, we’ve been rowing”, Misra bellows on album opener, Boat People.
Meanwhile, on Smith Street, Misra paints a portrait of the obscurity and meaninglessness often associated with inner-city living. He describes the common features of Melbourne’s famous and trendy strip, before conceding that “I feel so invisible.”
Songs like Smith Street demonstrate a pivotal point in Misra’s discography. It is the first album in which he has not exclusively addressed themes connected to life in New Delhi. His lyricism on this record offers an interesting contrast of observations between his past experiences there, and his current experiences in Melbourne. This often results in intriguing perceptions of the different social themes that permeate the two cities.
On Sketches by the Birrarung, Avi Misra has delivered a standalone listening experience, blazing a new and much overdue trail in the realms of synthpop and electronica. You can purchase it here.
