Patio Unplugged: Tejas Menon collaborates with Mali to perform originals Come On Love, Population

With the advent and increased use of expensive gadgets, turntables and processors, music in the social media epoch is more of an extension of all that is man-controlled. But Tejas’ music is a sweet escape to the time when melody and words were the real players. The 29-year-old singer-songwriter performed acoustic versions of his songs ‘Come On Love’ and ‘Population’ for Patio Unplugged. Perhaps it’s his radio jockey background that helps him connect to his listeners better. ‘Come On Love’ — in a not-usually-heard time signature — calls for a free flow of emotions. It asks humans not to depend on set patterns. ‘…I’m human and I’m bound to make mistakes’ is everyone’s story. The connection is spot on. Easy on the ears, the track establishes Tejas’ maturity as composer. Mali’s vocals balance the overall feel, adding harmonies and melodious hums. She lifts the conversational side of the song.

‘Population’ starts with a Doobie Brothers-like funk pattern. The vibe of the track is upbeat, but it points at the ignorance of countless people towards issues affecting the nation. Taking a dig at ‘armchair activism’, Tejas scores on the overall scansion of the song placing the words smartly.

Mali takes it to the crescendo using the kazoo, an Afro-American toy trumpet sort of an instrument, that is popular among indie artistes these days. She not only plays it to perfection, but right after a quick solo, she returns to the vocal section at lightning speed. The flawless harmonies reflect the chemistry she shares with Tejas. Having a mock saxophone sound, the kazoo changes the mood. The bare minimum usage will hold the instrument in good stead for their future performances. The listeners would want to hear more of the kazoo to understand its dynamics. A big up to Tejas’ clean diction and guitar playing skills. The songs wouldn’t have been as fresh had it not been for the authoritative jumbo tone. Not a believer of numbers, he is setting a new bar with every release. The number of hits is bound to go up as this is the perfect music for the living room as well as the highway. Watch Tejas speaking about his music, ‘ Come on Love’ and ‘ Population’