Think about one of the most populated countries in the world. Okay, now consider the honor of “one of the country’s leading singer-songwriters”. Put those two together and you have Indian guitarist-vocalist Prateek Kuhad.
Kuhad’s exposure to Western influences was limited until he enrolled at NYU, where he discovered the music of Elliott Smith. The stylings of Smith sent Kuhad down a rabbit hole of other acoustic composers who inspired him to reinforce his own guitar abilities. Fast forward past two EPs (one in Hindi, the other in English), a full-length, and countless internationally-acclaimed live performances, and we arrive at Kuhad’s latest and most emotionally complex album to date, cold/mess.
Written in India and recorded in Nashville, the six songs on cold/mess create a lush landscape that toes the line between orchestral folk and slow, poignant pop. Here in Texas we’re up to our armpits in summer sweat, so let’s welcome cold/mess with the album’s opener “with you/for you”!
–Jack Anderson
Photo: Bikramjit Bose
