The Fossils gang is all ears as Delhi-based sound engineer and co-producer Anupam Roy is at work. They listen carefully, dwelling on details of the song Bari esho that features in their upcoming album, Fossils 4. Only t2 was there with Rupam Islam (singer-songwriter), Allan Ao (guitarist), Deep (guitarist), Chandra (bassist) and Tanmoy (drums)

Rupam: There are eight songs in the album. My lyrics capture the inner conflicts and the personal dilemmas of this generation. There is this constant inner conflict which is intrinsic to our generation, it is our identity.... Is it better to live or die? The person who is contantly thinking about this ultimately wants to live... he arrives at a decision where he wishes to live with these inner conflicts. That’s the theme for all the Fossils albums. The group represents this generation and this time. This theme always leads us to new ideas. With each passing day, as the recording session progresses, it gives me great pleasure to see the songs taking on different meanings and revealing themselves to me in new ways. The recording process has been very intricate... every aspect of the songs is being recorded with great care.

Tanmoy: I have been performing with Fossils since 2010, but this is the first time I’m playing on a Fossils album. Initially, I was a bit tense but with each passing day I’ve got into the groove.

Chandra: The album is sounding different, we are heading towards a new musical direction, but that is very difficult to pinpoint. At the outset, we have a structure in mind, but the album evolves during the recording process. We are aiming for a more raw, stripped-down, live sound.

Deep: We are constantly evolving as musicians and the soundscape of our albums is changing.

Allan: Anupam (Roy) is a fantastic producer. He is involved in every aspect of song-making and recording, he understands rhythm, melody, he always pitches in with ideas. We have been working on the songs for four-five months now, and he has brought in a fresh perspective.

 

Sound engineer Anupam Roy (not to be confused with Tollywood’s singer-songwriter, please!) has co-produced Fossils 4. The Delhi-based composer of Retro Pop Shit for the film Shaitan, was spotted at Rupam’s studio, Working Class Zero, in South End Park.

Allan introduced me to the band in 2011 and I did the sound for them for a concert in Bangladesh that was aired on television. After that I toured with them. I do all their live shows (40-50 shows every season). They are a phenomenally tight band.

We are aiming at an organic rock ’’ roll sound… we are looking at something like the Nineties alternative grunge rock sound — bands like Soundgarden, Alice in Chains — with a focus on strong melodies. All these bands had a basic philosophy behind the sound — if you close your eyes and listen to the record, you should be able to picture the band playing in front of you.

I couldn’t have hoped for a better recording room. It’s huge and the drums are sounding massive. Our goal is to capture the best performance, so that the live feel comes off on the record.

My job as a producer is to make sure that the interpretation and the presentation of songs are done in the best possible way. I try to understand the songs, the strengths and weaknesses of a band, what is the message behind the song, what are they trying to do, lyrically what are they trying to say, what is the mood, the vibe... capture all of that and put it forward. We’ll be mixing the album in August.