Best Indian Indie Albums of 2013: Doppelganger, Raindrop, Ocean

2013 was a quieter year for big Indian indie releases, but it gave us several debuts that shaped the decade: a first album from Dualist Inquiry, a songwriter's record from Tajdar Junaid, Skrat's first full-length and the first songs from Parekh & Singh. This list picks the best Indian indie albums of 2013 that you can stream on Apple Music India today, plus the EPs worth hearing.

How we checked. Every date and track count below comes from Apple Music India (iTunes catalogue, country IN), checked on 28 October 2026. We also checked the date of every song on every record. A record is only here if most of its songs carry a 2013 date on Apple. Where the album and song dates differ, we say so. Only released music is covered. For the year after, see our 2014 albums list.

Quick answer: the best Indian indie albums of 2013

• Dualist Inquiry – Doppelganger (25 April 2013, 9 tracks)
• Tajdar Junaid – What Colour Is Your Raindrop (17 August 2013, 10 tracks)
• Skrat – Bring Out The Guns (5 February 2013, 10 tracks)
• Parekh & Singh – Ocean (Deluxe) (dated 2013, 12 tracks)
• The Bicycle Days – Calamitunes (7 June 2013, 9 tracks)
• Workshop – Made Love to the Dragon (21 January 2013, 9 tracks)
• Aditya Balani – Answers (14 November 2013, 8 tracks)

The albums

Dualist Inquiry – Doppelganger (April 2013, 9 tracks). Sahej Bakshi's first album as Dualist Inquiry, a guitar-led electronic record that set up everything he did next. The album is dated 25 April 2013; all nine songs are dated 15 March 2013, from "Specter" and "6am" to "Exile", "Isoterra" and "Soleil". Start with: "6am". See Dualist Inquiry albums and Dualist Inquiry songs.

Tajdar Junaid – What Colour Is Your Raindrop (August 2013, 10 tracks). A gentle, beautifully played album from the Kolkata multi-instrumentalist, moving between English, Hindi and Bengali. All ten songs are dated 17 August 2013. "Mockingbird" features Greg Johnson, "Ekta Golpo" features Satyaki Banerjee and Anusheh Anadil, and "Yadon Ki Pari" features Junaid Ahmad. Start with: "What Colour Is Your Raindrop". See the Kolkata music scene.

Skrat – Bring Out The Guns (February 2013, 10 tracks). The Chennai trio's debut is a fast, fun garage-rock record. Every song is dated 5 February 2013: "Smoke a Cigar", "Tin Can Man", "Samurai Badass", "Big Bad Bombs" and "In the Rain", which features Shakthisree Gopalan. Start with: "Smoke a Cigar". See the Chennai indie music scene.

Parekh & Singh – Ocean (Deluxe) (2013, 12 tracks). The Kolkata duo's dream-pop debut. Apple dates this deluxe edition and every song to 2013 (a 1 January placeholder date), and the standard Ocean is dated 28 October 2016 with the same 2013 song dates. The songs are the reason it is here: "I Love You Baby, I Love You Doll", "Newbury Street", "Ghost" and "Philosophize", plus three "Dream Levels" versions. Start with: "I Love You Baby, I Love You Doll". See Parekh & Singh songs.

The Bicycle Days – Calamitunes (June 2013, 9 tracks). A loud, melodic rock album from the Mumbai band. All nine songs, including "Vicious", "Conundrum", "Crawl (The Human Experience)" and "Truce", are dated 7 June 2013. Start with: "Crawl (The Human Experience)". See Indian alternative rock bands.

Workshop – Made Love to the Dragon (January 2013, 9 tracks). The Mumbai band's cheeky, funky rock album, full of local jokes. All nine songs are dated 21 January 2013, from the title track and "Down to Dahisar" to "Bhoot Bungla" and "Munni Jawan vs Sheila Badnam". Start with: "Down to Dahisar". See Mumbai indie bands.

Aditya Balani – Answers (November 2013, 8 tracks). An instrumental guitar album that mixes jazz-rock and Indian classical ideas. All eight tracks are dated 14 November 2013, including "Bandish", "Prarthna", "Sandhya" and "Mirrors of Time". Start with: "Bandish".

The best EPs of 2013

• Nucleya – Koocha Monster (14 October 2013, 6 tracks): "Street Boy", "Bell Gadi", "Akkad Bakkad", "Bangla Bass" and "New Delhi Nuttah". The desi bass blueprint. See Nucleya albums.
• Prateek Kuhad – Raat Raazi (18 August 2013, 5 tracks): "Ab Hoga Kya", "Raat Raazi", "Chahe Ya Na Chahe", "Voh" and "Yeh Pal" — his early Hindi songs. See Prateek Kuhad albums.
• Sky Rabbit – Where (10 July 2013, 5 tracks): "In Dance", "In Our Times", "Maybe Is Open Tonight", "Over the Rise" and "Where".
• Spud in the Box – Attention Please (dated 1 January 2013, songs 3 January 2013, 4 tracks): "Lens Life" and "Attention Please", three years before their debut album.
• Kohra – Pyramids (25 March 2013, 4 tracks), for techno listeners.

Dated 2013, but older songs

• Parvaaz – Behosh EP (dated 12 June 2013, 5 tracks). All five songs, including "Behosh", "Marika" and "Dil Khush", are dated 12 July 2012 on Apple, so we treat it as a 2012 record. See Parvaaz albums.

What is left out

• Film soundtracks, even where indie artists contributed (Indian Ocean's Satyagraha work, Amit Trivedi's Lootera).
• Coke Studio episodes and compilations.
• Extreme metal for most readers: Gutslit's Skewered In the Sewer (22 July 2013, 9 tracks) is a strong brutal death metal record, but very niche. See Indian death metal bands.
• Singles. The best 2013 songs are in our songs list for the year.

How to use this list

For one evening, play Doppelganger, What Colour Is Your Raindrop and Ocean back to back: three debuts that point to where Indian indie went next. For guitars, go to Bring Out The Guns and Calamitunes. For a wider view, see the best Indian indie albums of the 2010s and the essential Indian independent albums.

FAQ

What was the best Indian indie album of 2013? On this list, Dualist Inquiry's Doppelganger (25 April 2013). Tajdar Junaid's What Colour Is Your Raindrop is close behind.

Is Parekh & Singh's Ocean a 2013 or 2016 album? Both dates appear on Apple Music India. The deluxe edition is dated 2013 and the standard edition 28 October 2016, but every song carries a 2013 date.

When did Nucleya release Koocha Monster? The EP and all six songs are dated 14 October 2013 on Apple Music India.