Cold/Mess EP: 6 Songs that are closest to my heart

Prateek Kuhad is widely celebrated in the Indian Indie circuits. Having developed a huge fan base by now Prateek Kuhad has become a well known figure in the country. His songs have been a appreciated by critics and the audience (even Obama), helping him cement his place as one of the best artist in the country. Cold/Mess Ep came out on 2018 and I’ve been listening to it since then. In different settings, places, emotional phases and I’ve experienced all kinds of feelings listening to it. It induces tear jerking moments, makes me go back to some emotional times but by the time this records comes to an end and I’ve done my emotional catharsis, it leaves me with a smile. A smile that won’t fade away.

• With You/For You: Prateek Kuhad seems to have finally discovered his element and we can see that from the start of this EP. A song about the newness of love, fading away as time goes by. This song is beautiful. The track unflurs as it goes on with elements being layred over an acoustic guitar and Kuhad’s singing.

• Did You/Fall Apart: Kuhad sounds sad, loverlorn, shattered and nostalgic in this cut. Talking about someone taking his heart over an ambient piano and punchy percussions, you believe him when he says someone took his heart. A relationship falling apart couldn’t have been described in a better way than this.

• Cold/Mess: the star of this album is ‘Cold/Mess’ which is Prateek Kuhad being his most genuine self. Prateek Kuhad is screaming for help and drowning in his sorrows and misery. The heartache grows stronger as the song progresses. A desire to be with someone under circumstances which force you not to has devastating effects on you. You can feel the pain in his voice when he sing “wish I could leave you my love, but my heart is a mess”. For me this song has never been a sad song, somehow listening to it makes me happy (not because I’m a psychopath) because even in crumbling situations you need to keep going and I feel this song says that in its underlying tone. The drums, the guitar, that Synth everything about this song is gorgeous. It’s my favorite Prateek Kuhad song.

• For Your Time: we needed a breather after those heavy songs at the start and this provides us with one. A groovier song which sees Kuhad singing to his loved one for her time. The song is peppy and uptempo and for me a very good point in this record. You can’t be sad all the time, which is why this brings a sense of relief in this albums runtime.

• Fighter: you are greeted with heavy drums straight into the song. This is a song about fighting your inner demons and emerging victorious. The song builds up to a crescendo led by Prateek’s voice and the drums leading to a soft and soothing end just like you’ll feel after defeating what’s bothering you from the inside. We’re all fighters in our lives, fighting our demons and we all can come out of it. This song is our soundtrack for that battle.

• 100 Words:  A hundred words can be a lot to ask for and can tell you a whole story if said right. He talks about how he keeps writing songs over and over as he gets older, trying to get closer to his love. He’s still trying and will keep on trying till her succeeds. This is a mello and soft track which is the perfect ending to this amazing journey.

Prateek Kuhad has poured himself out in these six tracks. He has given us everything he had and made this intimate and personal. In its ephemeral runtime ‘Cold/Mess’ delivers a truly magical experience to the listeners. After pouring himself out to the listeners I hope he has somethings left to say to us because we could use more music from him more than anything else right now.