Neerh by Praveen Alva is a reflection in water

Praveen Alva, founder of Tulu band Alva Kuuto, talks about his new four-song EP, Neerh

Tulu artist Praveen Alva has already become a mainstay in Indian independent music because of his rich storytelling and performances with his band Alva Kuuto, but there is clearly more he wants to establish. On his new four-song EP, Neerh, Alva does exactly that, singing four different stories, channeling four different emotions all connected by “waterscapes.”

Assisted by producer-guitarist Varun Murali (from folk-rock band Swarathma) on the recording, arranging and mixing front, Neerh bursts to life with ‘Kadal Poiye’, tempers itself with the roomy ‘Possa Ponnu’ and incorporates the serene rhythms of the handpan to open ‘Barsada Rathrey’. The EP closes on a splendid note with ‘Kadalanchi Sukha Undugey’, a stirring testament to Alva’s folk storytelling aided by Swarathma’s violinist Sanjeev Nayak.

The release is Alva’s way of consciously distinguishing his band’s sound from his solo work. He says, “Alva Kuuto is more pop-rock and with this EP project, I tried to do more genres. That’s how I want to keep it for now.” With Neerh and his solo material, Alva says the soundscape and vocal melodies are presented in a way that can appeal to those who may not understand Tulu, but may grasp the emotion behind the words. “We sketch our own imagination in our mind without explaining too much,” Alva says.

‘Kadal Poiye’ — which translates to ocean and the sand (“Like a beach,” Alva explains) — is presented as a fun, groovy song. ‘Possa Ponnu’ — which means new bride in Tulu — comes from the perspective of a grandmother welcoming a new bride into the family. “That’s a song on the backwaters. If you hear the song, it’s more reflective in nature,” Alva says.

‘Barsada Rathrey’ (a rainy night) is a story about an older migrant who pines for life in the village, even though he ran away as a child during a jaathre (festival). “The last song is ‘Kadalanchi Sukha Undugey’, which means ‘pleasure is across the ocean’. “This song happens inside the ocean, so it has a bit about rowing and chanting. It is about someone who has heard this phrase, that pleasure is across the ocean, so he’s in a boat in search of it,” Alva says.

The artiste sums up Neerh and his current sound as “eclectic folk.” Although bound together by a lyrical theme of water, Alva says it was not intentional. “These songs weren’t chronologically written, I just picked from the songs I have. I wanted to make it into a concept EP and it felt like I should try connecting them through the concept of water,” he says.

The other reason there are four songs is an economic one, considering there is only so much Alva had allotted in terms of a budget for recording and releasing of these songs. “It is an investment, whether it is Varun’s production skills or the studio. Varun’s experience tapping into this project is amazing; he did a great job,” the singer-songwriter says.