CHENNAI: Everything about them is, well, vague. They beat around the bush when questioned, ramble on about random things to no end and when they do sit down to finally take a conversation forward, the abstraction just multiplies. But that vagueness is what adds to the cool quotient of Split, the Mumbai-based rock band.Like all popular musicians, their peculiarity is what makes them one of the best live bands in the country.The band was recently in the city to release their debut album Counting Perfume. “The name (of the album) is a combination of two words which we found very interesting and it led to a song. And when we put the album together and were looking for a name, we thought Counting Perfume was the most interesting option,” says Melroy D’mello, vocalist and song writer. And what is the song about? He puts deep thought into it before he answers, “It is about the role of genetics in addiction and a bit of nonsense at first and then I don’t know what it’s about. Sometimes you are in a daze when you are writing and you just don’t know.” There are a total of 13 songs in the album, out of which 10 are “straight songs” (read: heavy rock) and the rest are softer numbers.“These are the songs that we have been working on for a long time, right from 2004 – 04,” informs Aviv Pereira, the guitarist. When the band tries to explain what the rest of their songs are about, they look at each other and spit out words as if it’s a competition. “Terrorist attacks, love, capitalism, politics, growing up!” they list. And go on, “Stuck at a traffic signal.” Even at this point, vocalist Shekhar Mohite and drummer Varoon Aiyer don’t do much but nod in agreement and flash the occasional smile.The band, though they have taken almost a decade to put their songs together, claim that their album gels well together. “There are no inconsistencies in our songs,” says Garreth D’mello, who plays the bass (it is hard not to notice his nails painted in black even as he gracefully uses his hands to illustrate a point).“The notes in each song might be different, but they somehow all connect and the way they are presented is very relevant,” says Melroy.Aviv provides some clarity, “There is a growth in our music. It is very difficult for an artiste to play a song over and over again for 10 years if they don’t believe in it completely. It is not humanly possible for someone to listen to all 13 songs and not like even one song.” And what plans for the next album? They all immediately let out a collective sigh and shake their heads.
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