Exclusive interview with Midhaven talking about ‘Of The Lotus & The Thunderbolt’
Indie band Midhaven releases their album, ‘Of The Lotus and The Thunderbolt’
‘The single but universal soul’s journey to realisation, with symbolisms that are deeply rooted in the collective Indian subconscious’ is the concept of Midhaven’s recent release, ‘Of The Lotus and The Thunderbolt’. And it will be an understatement to say that the album is one of the most beautiful albums released in the indie circuit in the recent past. With extremely vibrant artwork, amazingly composed music and flamboyantly crafted concepts, the album is just the music your heart deserves.
And while we are talking about the album, we thought of talking to the trio, Mdhaven directly about the album and their journey.
We spoke to the three members of the trio, Karan Kaul (KK) (Vocals/ Guitar), Aditya Mohanan(AM) (Guitars/ Vocals) and Aviraj Kumar(AK) (Drums) and here’s what they said:
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How Midhaven started and who are the people in the trio?
AM: Midhaven started out as a bedroom project at Karan’s place and eventually turned into a 4 piece metal band. All of us were in college at the time in 2012. We soon released our debut EP and followed it up with our first full-length album ‘Spellbound’ via Universal Music Group. Around 2016-2017, the band went through lineup changes – I joined the band and Aviraj re-joined after a small hiatus. Currently, Midhaven is a three-piece metal band with Karan Kaul (Guitars & Vocals), Aditya Mohanan (Guitars & Vocals) and Aviraj Kumar (Drums).
The journey of making The Lotus & The Thunderbolt
KK: The album revolves around the central theme of time. The understanding that we try to communicate through this album is not that of linear time but one of universal, cyclical times where things don’t happen just once and don’t just happen in one way. The concept of this album revolves around a single universal soul, portrayed as a man, undergoing evolution through different stages, from suffering to enlightenment.
Midhaven’s favourite memories of making the album
AM: The album was very interesting to work on because all the members were in different cities and had to fly down to Mumbai at different points of the year to record their parts. The writing process for us was most organic – three guys at Aviraj’s house exchanging ideas and making music.
AK: The album was also recorded in an entirely analogue manner, which made the process very interesting sound-wise. Recording drums for us at a massive studio like island city in Mumbai was an incredible experience too. We also had the pleasure to work with Aussie Heavyweight, Forrester Savell who mixed and mastered our album. He’s worked on some of our favourite bands like Karnivool, Dead Letter Circus and of course, Skyharbor!
KK: Personally, working with Apurv Agrawal was the highlight of the recording process. Apurv had some fantastic ideas that come from his roots in punk rock & his love for EVERYTHING HEAVY. His love for recording analogue & his understanding of heavy music shaped our sound and gave it the finesse we needed.
Midhaven’s individual favourites from the track
AM: Personally speaking, it’s ‘Zhitro’ that is the grandest and the most intricate song on the record. It’s a whole journey and it’s nearly 10 minutes long and it’s got everything from soaring vocals to blistering solos to a really heavy breakdown, the heaviest in the album I think.
AK: I’d have to agree with Aditya. Zhitro was the most fulfilling song to write from a creative perspective, but also one of the most challenging songs on the record to nail down as a musician. I think the best drum parts of the album are from this song.
KK: Honestly it boils down to Zhitro because of how the song came to us. An almost 10-minute track that truly describes us as a band, as a sound.
Midhaven’s advice/ suggestions to the musicians out there
AK: Do not compromise on anything, from the quality of your music to the quality of your musicianship. It doesn’t matter how much you have as long as you have your eyes on the goal. Everything ultimately bends to the power of your determination.
