Indian Indie News: October 2026 Releases and Gigs

October has been a busy month for Indian independent music. A Chennai band has released its first album in ten years, a Mumbai collective is touring a new record, a Bangalore prog trio has set a November release date, and Saturday, October 24, is full of shows. Here is our roundup, with a link to the source for every item.

New albums

The F16s: All Dogs Go To Heaven

Chennai indie-rock quartet The F16s released All Dogs Go To Heaven on October 21. It is their second full-length album, ten years after their debut Triggerpunkte, The Hindu reported. The band made much of the 10-track record during almost a month together in Ooty in 2023, and Harshan Radhakrishnan mixed the whole album at his home studio in Chennai. The band told The Hindu it is the first F16s album they feel they made almost entirely themselves. The singles include "Mt. Whateverest", "LMAO" and "Little Mama's Boy".

Excise Dept: SHOPNOBHUMI

Excise Dept released their second album, SHOPNOBHUMI, through Dialled In Records on October 9, DESIblitz reported. The 10 tracks draw on partition-era stories, patriotic songs and oral histories, and were made with electronic artist Sanjay Das (Philtersoup). "Every song was heavily improvised," the band said. After shows at Dialled In Festival in London and Germany's Reeperbahn Festival, they are touring India in late October and early November, with stops in Mumbai, New Delhi, Bangalore and Kolkata.

Maneating Orchid: Cold Logic

Bengaluru avant-garde metal band Maneating Orchid's third album, Cold Logic, runs 11 songs and 34 minutes on Subcontinental Records, Rolling Stone India reported on October 21. The band launched it in June at Bangalore Death Fest, alongside Incantation, and have since taken it to Nepal, Mumbai, Guwahati and Kolkata.

Coming soon

Rainburn: thirty-seven (November 4)

Bangalore progressive rock trio Rainburn will release their third album, thirty-seven, on November 4, 2026, Headbangers India reported. The nine-track concept album grew out of frontman Vats Iyengar's near-death experience while stranded at sea. The band have released a single and video for "confessions", the album's seventh track. For more on the heavier end of the scene, see our guide to Indian metal bands.

Salt Rock: a debut album on the way

New Delhi alternative rock band Salt Rock released "Stay", the first track from a debut album due later this year, MusiCulture reported on October 2. The band says the song "wrote itself" in two days. We reviewed it in Salt Rock, "Stay": review.

Osho Jain: "Teri Marzi Hai"

Osho Jain's Mere Ghar Chalo tour mixes songs with personal stories and audience interaction, Music Plus reported on October 15. It includes his first shows in cities such as Siliguri, Guwahati, Nagpur, Lucknow and Varanasi, and comes ahead of his next release, "Teri Marzi Hai". Read our Osho Jain profile for background.

This weekend's gigs (Saturday, October 24)

• The Raghu Dixit Project, Orion Mall, Brigade Gateway, Bengaluru. Live in concert from 7pm, organised by October Riders Fest, according to the event's Eventbrite listing. Our Raghu Dixit Project profile covers the band's history.
• Twin Strings, Ansal Plaza, New Delhi. The New Delhi indie-pop and rock quartet brings its six-city Karwaan 2026 tour home, with a two-hour set of originals, covers and medleys, GTK reported.
• CKRAFT with Maneating Orchid, The Humming Tree, Bengaluru. Gatecrash presents French jazz-metal quintet CKRAFT, with Maneating Orchid in support, at 9pm, according to Headbangers India's gig listing. Rolling Stone India also confirmed the date.

Bengaluru listeners have two shows to choose between that night.

The bigger picture

The F16s' ten-year gap between albums and Excise Dept's release on a London label straight into a multi-city tour show how varied release cycles in Indian indie have become. For artists going it alone, our guide to releasing music without a record label covers the practical steps. Further out, Lollapalooza India returns to Mumbai on January 23–24, 2027, The Hindu reported.

Sources

• The Hindu, "After 10 years, The F16s return with their new album, 'All Dogs Go To Heaven'", 1 Oct 2026: https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/music/after-10-years-the-f16s-return-with-their-new-album-all-dogs-go-to-heaven/article71521340.ece
• DESIblitz, "EXCISE DEPT release new album 'SHOPNOBHUMI'", 9 Oct 2026: https://www.desiblitz.com/content/excise-dept-release-new-album-shopnobhumi
• Rolling Stone India, "Maneating Orchid's Cosmic Horror Shines on New Album 'Cold Logic'", 21 Oct 2026: https://rollingstoneindia.com/maneating-orchid-cold-logic-album-interview/
• Headbangers India, "CKRAFT and Maneating Orchid – Live in Bengaluru", 14 Oct 2026: https://headbangersindia.com/gigs/ckraft-and-maneating-orchid-live-in-bengaluru/
• Headbangers India, "RAINBURN announce third album 'thirty-seven'": https://headbangersindia.com/blog/rainburn-thirty-seven-near-death-at-sea-industrial-prog/
• MusiCulture, "Salt Rock Introduces Its Debut Album With 'Stay'", 2 Oct 2026: https://www.musiculture.in/salt-rock-stay-debut-album/
• Music Plus, "Osho Jain announces India tour for 'Mere Ghar Chalo' live experience", 15 Oct 2026: https://www.musicplus.in/osho-jain-announces-india-tour-for-mere-ghar-chalo-live-experience/
• Eventbrite, "The Raghu Dixit Project – Live in Concert": https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-raghu-dixit-project-live-in-concert-tickets-2003332083189
• GTK, "Twin Strings to bring Karwaan 2026 tour to Ansal Plaza on October 24": https://www.thisisgtk.com/news/twin-strings-to-bring-karwaan-2026-tour-to-ansal-plaza-on-october-24
• The Hindu, "Lollapalooza India 2027 lineup": https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/music/lollapalooza-india-2027-lineup-olivia-dean-limp-bizkit-fontaines-dc-katseye-yousuke-yukimatsu-and-more-to-perform-in-mumbai/article71422840.ece

Related on Discography

• Raghu Dixit Project: the band profile
• Osho Jain: the artist profile
• Salt Rock, "Stay": review
• Indian metal bands

Cover photo: GrubbyPix / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).

What new Indian indie albums came out in October 2026?

The F16s released All Dogs Go To Heaven on October 21 and Excise Dept released SHOPNOBHUMI on October 9, 2026.

When is Rainburn's new album out?

Rainburn's third album, thirty-seven, is due on November 4, 2026.

What indie gigs are on in Bengaluru on October 24, 2026?

The Raghu Dixit Project plays Orion Mall, Brigade Gateway, and French band CKRAFT plays The Humming Tree with Maneating Orchid in support.

When is the new F16s album released?

The F16s released All Dogs Go To Heaven, their second full-length album, on October 21, 2026.