Man Goes Human is a Delhi-based Indie rock band that has performed at various venues in Delhi, toured Singapore and performed at the South Asian Bands Festival. Their self-titled debut album consists of Paul on vocals and guitar, Noni on leads, Kaprila on vocals and Shitij on Bass. Shitij also lends the lyrics to the album.

Owing to how distinctively they chose to name themselves, I was curious as to what they would offer. The title track ‘No See’ is reminiscent of the ambient sounds and vocals of Jefferson Airplane. A head-nodding rhythm forms the signature sound, and I was glad this fell smoothly into the genre that I could be comfortable with, no matter what mood I’m in – the Blues. Full marks to the vocalist for being the voice that resonates from the innermost recesses of your mind. Given the abstract lyrics, the album seems to fall into a ravine between psychedelic and blues.

The second track begins with the acoustic guitar intro, and soon moves into the singer crooning over a love that could have been. A song perfect to recline and recollect similar stories you’ve had in your past. Quite surprisingly, ‘Together for Eternity’, carries itself purely by means of a single guitar.

The third track begins with an acoustic guitar as well as a distant electric. Cutting through the strings is Kaprila’s voice on ‘Fading‘, I’ve begun to realize by now that the band is seeking to set a mood for the album – one that seems to pick memories and weigh them with their lyrics. The guitars are joined by percussion at around the third minute, just when I thought this was going to be a dull affair.

‘Ba Ba Black Sheep’, begins with the familiar drone of the Nursery Rhyme, only thrusting electronic sounds with it. By the second minute, the addictive rhythm seems to hammer their point into my head. A good interpretation nevertheless, if I hadn’t listened to any of their music at all, I’d want to be introduced to this song the first.

Just when I thought the album stood solely on the plane of the clouds in my head, they brought the next song ‘Leave Me or Love Me’ straight in between the sheets of the bed.  I’d be damned if TAAQ hasn’t had an influence over this band, given how eerily similar this number is to their music.

‘I’d‘, the sixth number has a rushed intro, is grungy and carries the same genre through the song. Reminiscent of the 90’s yearning to slide into the coveted comfort of the lover’s heart and fans alike.

The last song ‘Eeeee‘, is a song of parting, juxtaposing the end of their album with lyrics that speak of heart wrenching moments of a goodbye.

Man Goes Human is a an album that evokes a mixture of reminiscence, of what could have been, what has been, and what is. Kaprila, Shitij, Noni and Paul create sounds that have been heard before, but with lyrics that are as fresh as your morning coffee.

Keeping aside the continuous scrutiny, Man Goes Human, seems to get their formula right!