Indian Indie Songs: 50 Essential Tracks

Most lists of Indian indie songs are playlists with no memory: twenty tracks from the last eighteen months, no years, no context, and nothing older than the streaming era. This list goes the other way. It runs from the Delhi fusion rock of the 1990s to the bedroom pop, rap and electronic music of the 2020s, and every entry is a released song you can play today. Each one comes with the artist, the year (as listed on the artist's discography where we could confirm it), and a sentence or two on why it belongs.

It is not a chart. We did not rank by streams, and we have not invented any numbers. The order is chronological inside five eras, so you can hear the scene change as you go. If you only have an hour, play the first song in each section, then come back. For the history behind these records, start with our guide to Indian independent music and the timeline. If you want Hindi only, read Hindi indie songs; if you want full records instead of tracks, go to essential Indian independent albums.

Era 1: The pioneers (1990s to early 2000s)

1. Indian Ocean – "Kandisa" (2000). The title track of Kandisa sets an Aramaic prayer to a long, rolling groove. It is the first song most people mean when they say Indian fusion rock, and it still sounds unhurried in a way few later bands managed. Artist: Indian Ocean.

2. Indian Ocean – "Ma Rewa". A Narmada folk song turned into a live staple and the band's best-known vocal moment. Hear it after "Kandisa" to understand why the band's shows felt like gatherings rather than gigs. See our Indian Ocean history.

3. Parikrama – "But It Rained". Written in the mid-1990s and given a video in 2001, it became the anthem of the college-festival circuit. Parikrama barely released albums; this song did the work an album usually does. Parikrama.

4. Indus Creed – "Pretty Child". The best-known song from a band that began as Rock Machine in 1984. Clean, melodic, very early-1990s, and historically central. Indus Creed.

5. Lucky Ali – "O Sanam" (1996). From Sunoh. Strictly this is Indipop, not indie, but its acoustic guitar and travel-diary mood are the template for a generation of Hindi singer-songwriters. Lucky Ali; more in Lucky Ali songs.

6. Silk Route – "Dooba Dooba" (1998). Mohit Chauhan's band and its soft-rock hit from Boondein. Proof that a guitar band could be a pop band in Hindi. Silk Route.

7. Junoon – "Sayonee" (1997). A Pakistani band, but impossible to leave out of any honest account of what Indian rock listeners played in the late 1990s. Sufi text, Ali Azmat's voice, Salman Ahmad's guitar. Junoon; context in Sufi rock bands.

8. Thermal and a Quarter – a track from Plan B (2005). The album was put online as a free download in 2005, years before that was a business model. Start anywhere on Plan B. Thermal and a Quarter.

9. Motherjane – a track from Maktub (2008). Baiju Dharmajan's Carnatic-phrased guitar at its peak. The sound that defined "Kerala progressive rock" for a decade. Motherjane.

10. Avial – "Nada Nada" (2008). The opening of Avial's only studio album, and the song that proved Malayalam could carry alternative rock without apology. Avial.

Era 2: The scene gets a name (2008–2014)

11. The Raghu Dixit Project – "Mysore Se Aayi" (2008). Kannada-Hindi folk melody, a big chorus, and a live show that travelled to UK festivals. Raghu Dixit and the Raghu Dixit Project story.

12. Swarathma – "Ee Bhoomi" (2009). The Kannada ode to the earth from the band's self-titled debut; theatrical, funny and political in the same breath. Swarathma.

13. Agam – "Malhar Jam". A long Carnatic progressive piece that shows why Agam are a band you listen to in full, not in clips. Agam; albums include The Inner Self Awakens.

14. Coshish – a track from Firdous (2013). Hindi progressive rock from Mumbai that rarely gets the attention its craft deserves. Start with Firdous. Coshish.

15. Agnee – "Kabira". Pune rock with a pop chorus, from the band's self-titled album. A link between the college circuit and the TV-music crossover of the 2000s. Agnee.

16. Indian Ocean – "Bandeh". Written for the film Black Friday (2004), and the moment Indian Ocean's sound entered Hindi cinema on its own terms. A useful bridge into the band's later 16/330 Khajoor Road.

17. Thermal and a Quarter – a track from Jupiter Cafe. The concept album Jupiter Cafe is the band's most complete statement on Bengaluru life.

18. Peter Cat Recording Co. – the early era. Suryakant Sawhney's band began in Delhi in 2009 and spent years as a cult act before Europe caught on. If you start with one song, make it from Bismillah. Peter Cat Recording Co..

19. Taba Chake – a song from Bombay Dreams. Fingerstyle guitar and Nyishi, Hindi and English lyrics from Arunachal Pradesh. Start with Bombay Dreams. Taba Chake.

20. Girish and the Chronicles – "Rock the Highway". Sikkim hard rock built for open-air stages; title track of Rock the Highway. Girish and the Chronicles.

Era 3: The streaming crossover (2015–2019)

21. The Local Train – "Choo Lo" (2015). From Aalas Ka Pedh, and the most played Hindi rock song of its generation. If one track explains why Hindi guitar bands came back, it is this one. The Local Train.

22. The Local Train – "Aaoge Tum Kabhi" (2015). Same album, slower and sadder; the song fans sing back loudest. See The Local Train history.

23. Prateek Kuhad – "Tum Jab Paas" (2015). Hushed Hindi folk-pop from the In Tokens & Charms period. Kuhad's catalogue starts with Raat Raazi and In Tokens & Charms. Prateek Kuhad.

24. Prateek Kuhad – "cold/mess" (2018). The English-language song that took him to an international audience; it sits on the cold/mess EP. Read Prateek Kuhad songs.

25. When Chai Met Toast – "Kahaani". Kochi folk-pop with a big, warm chorus; the band's first fully Hindi song. When Chai Met Toast; start with When We Feel Young.

26. Easy Wanderlings – "Enjoy It While It Lasts" (2017). Pune's eight-piece band at its most open, from the crowdfunded debut As Written in the Stars. Easy Wanderlings; more in Easy Wanderlings songs.

27. Thaikkudam Bridge – "Navarasam" (2015). The title track of Navarasam, nine emotions in one composition, and the song at the centre of the 2022 Kantara dispute. Thaikkudam Bridge.

28. Divine & Naezy – "Mere Gully Mein" (2015). The Mumbai street-rap anthem that later shaped the film Gully Boy. Divine, Naezy.

29. Naezy – "Aafat!" (2014). Recorded with phone-camera ambition and a borrowed beat, it became the founding text of Bombay gully rap. Naezy.

30. Prabh Deep – "Suno" (2017). From Class-Sikh, produced by Sez on the Beat. Punjabi rap about West Delhi without a single cliché. Prabh Deep; Prabh Deep songs.

31. Seedhe Maut – "Shaktimaan" (2018). From Bayaan. Fast, funny, technically dazzling Delhi rap. Seedhe Maut.

32. Nucleya – "Laung Gawacha" (2016). Bass music built on a Punjabi folk hook; the moment Indian electronic music filled stadium-size crowds. Nucleya; see Nucleya songs.

33. Ritviz – "Udd Gaye" (2017). The Bacardi House Party Sessions winner that made desi electronic pop a format. Ritviz; see Ritviz songs.

34. Lifafa – a song from Superpower 2020. Suryakant Sawhney's solo project, synth-folk and Hindi wordplay. Superpower 2020; Lifafa.

35. Aswekeepsearching – a track from Zia. Ahmedabad post-rock that learned to sing in Hindi. Zia; Aswekeepsearching.

Era 4: Lockdown and after (2020–2023)

36. Anuv Jain – "Baarishein". The quiet acoustic love song that made Anuv Jain a household name long before he released an album. Anuv Jain.

37. Prateek Kuhad – "Kasoor" (2020). Hindi romance with almost nothing in it but voice and guitar. Prateek Kuhad.

38. Peter Cat Recording Co. – "Floated By" (2019). From Bismillah; lounge, cabaret and grief in one song. Read Peter Cat Recording Co. members.

39. Hanumankind – "Big Dawgs" (2024) with producer Kalmi. A Kerala rapper's crossover hit; it sits here as the endpoint of a story that starts in the 2010s. Hanumankind; Hanumankind songs.

40. Seedhe Maut – a track from Nayaab (2022). The duo's most ambitious long-player. Nayaab; Seedhe Maut songs.

41. Dabzee – a song from Delkochi. Malayalam rap with a melodic, almost Mappila-song bounce. Delkochi; Dabzee.

42. KR$NA – a track from Far From Over. Delhi lyricism at its sharpest. Far From Over; KR$NA.

43. Mitraz – a song from Zehen. Gorakhpur duo's soft Hindi pop. Zehen; Mitraz; profile: Mitraz.

44. Bloodywood – "Machi Bhasad" (2022). From Rakshak; folk-metal with dhol, rapped verses and a mosh-pit chorus. Bloodywood.

45. The Yellow Diary – a song from Marz. Mumbai pop-rock that kept the 2010s band-sound alive. Marz; The Yellow Diary.

Era 5: The current wave (2024–2026)

46. Faheem Abdullah – a song from Lost;Found (2024). Srinagar singer whose catalogue starts with Lost;Found. Faheem Abdullah.

47. Parvaaz – a song from Na Gul Na Gulistan (2025). Kashmiri and Urdu psych-rock; read our review. Na Gul Na Gulistan.

48. Bawari Basanti – a song from Tu Haina. A rare current Hindi rock act with a female voice out front. Tu Haina; Bawari Basanti.

49. Meewakching – a song from The Land (2023). Imphal indie rock in Meitei. The Land; Meewakching.

50. Thermal and a Quarter – "Lies". Three decades on, the Bengaluru band is still releasing; see our review of "Lies".

How to listen to this list

Play it in order once. The first ten songs are about place: Delhi, Bengaluru, Kochi, Mumbai, each with a different idea of what a guitar band should sound like in India. Songs 11 to 20 add language, with Kannada, Malayalam, Nyishi and Hindi all treated as normal rather than novelty. Songs 21 to 35 are where streaming arrives and Hindi guitar music, gully rap and desi electronic pop become the mainstream of the independent scene. The last fifteen show how wide the field now is: Kashmiri psych-rock, Manipuri indie, Kerala rap.

If you want depth instead of breadth, use the artist links. Every name above has an artist page on Discography with its released catalogue, and most have a longer history on the magazine. Good next stops: Indian indie bands, Indian singer-songwriters, Indian rock bands, best Indian rappers, and Indian indie languages.

What we left out, and why

There is no Bollywood soundtrack song here unless the artist made it as an independent act first, and nothing unreleased. We also left out songs that we could only find described in press releases. If an artist you love is missing, it is likely because we have not yet built their catalogue page; the artists hub is updated every week.