Feature

5 Indian Indie Artists to Discover Right Now

A New York-based hyperpop debut, a Kolkata rock band's birthday single, a newlywed duo's first song together, a Karnataka-coast trio's multilingual EP and a Hindi protest anthem — five acts worth your time, all sourced.

@de3 Nov 2026

Indie · Rumari · India

Independent

More on RumariPelican ShufflesSanjeeta Bhattacharya & Raag SethiCurryBhrigu and the Jaanemans

FAQ

Are these artists independent?

Yes. All five releases here are self-released or put out without a major label, per the sources cited.

When did these songs come out?

Between late September and early October 2026: Pelican Shuffles on 30 September, Bhrigu and the Jaanemans on 2 October, Sanjeeta Bhattacharya and Raag Sethi on 3 October; Rumari's album was covered by Homegrown on 1 October, and Curry's EP was completed in August and profiled in September.

Which one should I start with?

For a jolt, Rumari's "MATURITY". For guitars, Pelican Shuffles' "If I Lose Myself Today". For something gentle, "Phir Se".

01
Rumari
Hyperpop · New York / India
Rumari quit a corporate job and moved to New York to make music work. His debut album, IDENTITY CRISIS!, is what came out of that leap: 11 tracks of blown-out bass, metallic synths, glitchy drums and silky auto-tuned vocals.
Homegrown described it as "a euphoric but unhinged emotional breakdown under strobing club lights." The songs move through self-doubt, situationships and self-sabotage on "JADED", "ASSOCIATION" and "CHIMERA" before "MATURITY" arrives with the line every overthinker needs: "I got shit to do."
Why now: hyperpop is rare in Indian independent music, and Rumari makes it sound personal rather than borrowed. Not every track sticks, but the sound is his own.
Essential tracks
- IDENTITY CRISIS! (album)
- MATURITY
- JADED
02
Pelican Shuffles
Indie rock · Kolkata
Kolkata's Pelican Shuffles are Varun Gujadhur (vocals, guitars), Prashant Gujadhur (guitar, backing vocals), Subhomoy Mitra (bass) and Sounak Roy (drums). Two EPs and singles like "Catch a Cab", "Move On (Let the Sirens Play)" and "Endlessly" built them a reputation for catchy melodies and clean guitar.
Their new single, "If I Lose Myself Today", came out on 30 September — Varun's birthday. It is about losing your direction while trying to hold on to who you are. Varun produced it, it was recorded at Blue Monk and mixed and mastered by Tirthankar Ray, with backing vocals by Elle.
Why now: critic Narendra Kusnur gave it three and a half stars and flagged its 1970s warmth. It is the kind of sing-along guitar song Indian indie rock does not make enough of.
Essential tracks
- If I Lose Myself Today
- Catch a Cab
- Move On (Let the Sirens Play)
03
Sanjeeta Bhattacharya & Raag Sethi
Acoustic pop-folk · Mumbai
Singer-songwriter Sanjeeta Bhattacharya and producer-guitarist Raag Sethi are recently married, and "Phir Se", released on 3 October, is their first song together. It is an intimate acoustic pop-folk track about reconnecting after years apart and finding love you did not expect.
Sanjeeta sings; Raag handles production, arrangement, mastering and guitars. The song is the first from their upcoming four-track EP Dear Diary, which they say spans Hindi, English, Bengali and Spanish.
Why now: Rolling Stone India picked it as one of the week's essential releases. It is a love song that actually sounds lived in.
Essential tracks
- Phir Se
04
Curry
Multilingual pop · Mumbai / Karnataka coast
Curry are Kanasue (Sumanth Shetty), Ryo (Ria D'souza) and Sheesh (Ashish Palanna), raised on the Karnataka coast and now based in Mumbai. Most people first met them as a covers act at weddings, including actors Rashmika Mandanna and Vijay Deverakonda's.
Their EP Suprabhatha, completed in August after a track-by-track video rollout, is their strongest case for their own songs. It moves across Kannada ("Nannavale", "Manase", with lyrics by Praveen Alva), Malayalam ("Mariegold"), Hindi ("Saanjh") and a reworked wedding kriti in "Seetha Kalyana." None of them are trained in Carnatic music, they told Rolling Stone India; they grew up hearing it.
Why now: a Suprabhatha tour starts in Bengaluru, with Sri Lanka and Singapore in talks.
Essential tracks
- Seetha Kalyana
- Manase
- Suprabhatha (EP)
05
Bhrigu and the Jaanemans
Hindi rock · Pune / Mumbai
Bhrigu Sahni spent a decade studying and performing music in the US and released the English EPs What Is Now and Awakening before turning to Hindi. He is the grandson of writer Bhisham Sahni, and he read his grandfather's work — along with Urdu poets and even Chacha Chaudhury comics — to learn to write in the language.
"Azaadi", released on 2 October with his band (Jayesh Malani, Varun Venkit, Shreyas Kadkol and vocalist Meher Paralikar), is a guitar-driven protest song. It was written before this year's protests, about a more spiritual freedom; his bandmates heard how well it fit the moment. "Our younger generation yearns for accountability," he told the Free Press Journal.
Why now: the band plays Bonobo, Mumbai, on 11 November; the next single, "Chalo Mere Saath," is due in November, with the full album, recorded live, by mid-2027.
Essential tracks
- Azaadi