Artist: SRADIL
Release Title: Snowfall in Summer
Label: Independent
Release Date: 28 August 2021
Location: New Delhi, India
Digital Price: 5 USD
Length: 22min 1s
Written by Yari Wildheart
India has some seriously great progressive music these days. When it comes to Indian music internationally, many people hear ‘India’ and think of Indian classical music or trance, sometimes even Bollywood hits. But there are just so many great artists coming out of India these days, and SRADIL is one of those fresh young faces with plenty of skill to back him up.
SRADIL is a solo act whose first EP, Snowfall in Summer, was released in 2021 and it is our pleasure to introduce it to our readers. At Cave Dweller Music, we have reviewed some brilliant music by soloists who handled every aspect of production before (see: Alfonso Corace, or The Reticent). Sarthak Dilawari, the man behind SRADIL, followed in those footsteps by creating some amazingly uplifting music entirely on his own. Really, he did it all – he played all instruments on the album, wrote the music in every song, recorded the performances, then produced, mixed, and mastered them.
Oftentimes a band will come up with a new term to describe the sound they’re aiming for. Rammstein, for instance, has been known to describe their sound as ‘dance metal’ owing to their trademark keyboard-oriented sound. Likewise, Dilawari describes the sound he’s aiming for as APER, or Ambient Progressive Electronic Rock. Electronic elements here are not as strong as one might expect from a label like that, but they are there – Heaven Smiles, for instance, has some solid electronic beats towards the end of the track.
For this sort of music, Dilawari is more than qualified, as the guitarwork here is not just creative and technical in a really satisfying manner, but has a certain emotional, uplifting flair to it. Tracks like Heaven Smiles really ooze positivity with cheerful melodies and shredding that sounds like something from the utopian future of Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure. At one point we hear extended riffing interrupted by an electronic blast, before shredding carries on with increasing fervor and ascending mountains of notes that makes one want to soar.
That soaring is a light quality that permeates all four tracks on the Snowfall in Summer EP that goes hand-in-hand with the uplifting sound SRADIL is aiming for, and the album art is perfectly selected to that end. An image of a tony floating island in the sky, flocks of birds soaring high while a lone man gazes up into the heavens. Alone he may be, but this is an image of comfort. That man looks like he’s having one of the best days he’s ever had, a quiet, warm, and relaxing day.
That vibe is carried right from the start of the EP, as the title track Snowfall in Summer opens with some simple notes and light electronic backing, before getting into some almost poppy riffs. At first it sounds almost a little forlorn, but it quickly becomes apparent that this is something positive. Similarly Soju the third track on the EP, has a nice energy to it. Some detailed shredding with some wonderful jazzy flourishes and timing that evokes such happiness that it’s almost celebratory.
There is a depth of sound and progression throughout the title track Snowfall in Summer that one finds stories being conjured up in the imagination – the hallmark of some great instrumental music. Once you listen to something and you really feel different emotions and images through sound alone, you know you have something special. The whole EP has that in spades, and it’s one of the key reasons that there is absolutely no hesitation in saying that SRADIL is a project deserving of much attention. Snowfall in Summer is an absolutely dynamite release, some of the best from the Indian rock & metal world of 2021, and if it is any indication, SRADIL’s first album is sure to be absolutely brilliant. Listen to it and brighten up your day with Sradil Dilawari.
I hope you enjoy Snowfall in Summer.
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