When Chai Met Toast formed in Kochi, Kerala, in 2016. They play warm, sing-along indie folk-pop, mostly in English and Hindi, with the odd line in Tamil or Malayalam. The line-up is Ashwin Gopakumar (vocals), Achyuth Jaigopal (guitar, banjo), Palee Francis (keys, production) and Pai Sailesh (drums, percussion). For the people behind the songs, read When Chai Met Toast members. This page is about the songs.

We've ordered the guide by release so you can hear the band change: an acoustic act built for small rooms, then a studio pop group with an album, then a quieter band revisiting its own songs. Titles, dates, track counts and tracklists come from Apple Music India, checked on 28 October 2026. Band history comes from our artist page and Wikipedia. We don't quote stream numbers.

The release map

Main records:

  • Believe — EP, 4 tracks, 7 September 2018
  • When We Feel Young — album, 7 tracks, 29 October 2021
  • LYTS — EP, 4 tracks, 19 May 2023
  • Nature Tapes, Vol. 1 — EP, 5 tracks, 31 May 2024

Key singles: "Joy of Little Things" (2017), "Run Closer" (2018), "'Hop Stomp'" (2019), "Nee Aara" (2019), "Maybe I Can Fly", "When We Feel Young", "Kahaani" and "Ocean Tide" (all 2020), "Break Free" (2021), "Kahaani" featuring Pavithra Chari (2021), "Yellow Paper Daisy" (2021), "Lovin' U" and "Tere Aane Se" (2022), "Dreamland" with Job Kurian and "Baaton" (2025), and "I'm Coming Home" (December 2025).

Soundtrack and collaboration credits on Apple include Friday Night Plan (2023, with Dhruv Visvanath and Skrat), "Take Me Home" with Farhan (2023), "Aa Bhi Jaa" with Ankur Tewari from Do Aur Do Pyaar (2024), and the Citadel: Honey Bunny soundtrack (2024), shared with Sachin-Jigar, Priya Saraiya and Fiddlecraft. Before any of that, the band wrote music for Kenny Sebastian's 2018 web series Die Trying.

One correction for anyone comparing sources: Apple lists Believe as a four-track EP, not an album. Wikipedia also describes the band as having released two EPs before their breakthrough, which fits.

The early singles (2017–2019)

Joy of Little Things (2017)

The song that defined them. A bright, banjo-led melody, a chorus about small pleasures, and a hook a whole room can sing back. It explains why the band built a following on live shows before the playlists found them. On Apple the single carries three tracks.

Run Closer (2018)

A standalone single from the year between the debut and the EP. It's worth hearing to understand how quickly the band settled on its sound.

'Hop Stomp' (2019)

A rhythmic single built for festival stages. Pai Sailesh's percussion pulls the band toward something more physical than the acoustic debut.

Nee Aara (2019)

A Malayalam-titled single, and a reminder that the band is from Kochi even when most of its lyrics are in English.

Believe (EP, 2018)

The first proper release, four songs long:

  1. Khoj (Passing By)
  2. Who Are You
  3. Believe
  4. Forever

"Believe", the title track, is a short summary of what the band stands for: hope, said plainly, with no irony. Some listeners find that plainness corny; most fans love it for exactly that reason. "Khoj (Passing By)" is the one to remember, because the band came back to it six years later on Nature Tapes.

When We Feel Young (2021)

The band's only full-length album so far. It runs seven tracks:

  1. Constellation
  2. Ocean Tide
  3. When We Feel Young
  4. Kahaani
  5. Remember
  6. Break Free
  7. Maybe I Can Fly

Most of it was trailed as singles through 2020 and early 2021, so the album collects the songs that carried the band through the pandemic years. Play it in order anyway. "Constellation" is a soft opener, the title track is the most complete statement of the band's nostalgic, coming-of-age mood, and "Maybe I Can Fly" closes on the same lift it started with.

When We Feel Young (title track)

If you only play one song from the album, play this one. It's the clearest version of what the band does: a gentle verse, a big shared chorus, and a lyric about holding on to the feeling of being young.

Kahaani

One of their Hindi songs, and a good example of why their audience reaches well beyond English-language indie. A separate 2021 single version features Pavithra Chari.

Break Free

A single released in February 2021. Wikipedia notes its video was picked among VH1 India's top 50 videos.

Ocean Tide

A rolling, mid-tempo song that the band later reworked for Nature Tapes.

Yellow Paper Daisy (2021)

A wistful single released a month before the album and kept off it. Palee Francis's arrangement is fuller here, and the song sits closer to mainstream pop production without losing the band's warmth.

LYTS (EP, 2023)

Four songs, all titled in lowercase on Apple:

  1. sushi song
  2. so beautiful, with you
  3. hearts never break
  4. love you the same

The lowercase titles fit the hushed sound. Three of the four came out as singles in spring 2023 before the EP. "so beautiful, with you" is the pick: more space in the mix, less hook, and a band confident enough to leave things out. LYTS is the first release on Apple under Universal Music India.

Nature Tapes, Vol. 1 (EP, 2024)

The most interesting recent turn in the catalogue. Rather than new songs, the band re-recorded five older ones with natural sound and quieter arrangements:

  1. When We Feel Young (Nature Tapes)
  2. Yellow Paper Daisy (Nature Tapes)
  3. Ocean Tide (Nature Tapes)
  4. Khoj (Nature Tapes)
  5. Kahaani (Nature Tapes)

Hear it after the originals. The songs survive being slowed down, which tells you they were written well rather than just produced well.

Since then (2025)

The band has kept releasing singles: "Dreamland" with Job Kurian (August 2025), "Baaton" (October 2025) and "I'm Coming Home" (December 2025, three tracks on Apple). That is the latest release on the catalogue as of this guide. We only cover released music.

Where to start

  • First listen: "Joy of Little Things", then the When We Feel Young title track.
  • For playlists: "Believe", "Yellow Paper Daisy", "Kahaani", "Break Free".
  • For the deeper cut: Nature Tapes, Vol. 1, start to finish.
  • For the film side: "Aa Bhi Jaa" with Ankur Tewari.

Why this band matters to the Kerala story

Kerala's indie scene is often told through rock and fusion: Thaikkudam Bridge, Avial, Motherjane. When Chai Met Toast show the other side of Kochi: pop songwriting that travels nationally without leaning on regional-language branding. Our Kerala indie music scene and Malayalam indie bands and artists pieces place them on the wider map.

They were picked for Spotify's RADAR programme and have played Bacardi NH7 Weekender and SulaFest. Those slots are part of how a Kochi band became a national touring act. For this year's live run, see Joy Rooms Tour 2026.

If you like When Chai Met Toast

FAQ

Where is When Chai Met Toast from? Kochi, Kerala. The band formed in 2016.

What is When Chai Met Toast's most popular song? "Joy of Little Things" (2017) is the song most closely tied to their breakthrough.

Does When Chai Met Toast have an album? Yes, one: When We Feel Young (2021), seven tracks. Believe (2018), LYTS (2023) and Nature Tapes, Vol. 1 (2024) are EPs.

What languages do they sing in? Mostly English and Hindi, with occasional Tamil and Malayalam lyrics.

What is their latest release? The single "I'm Coming Home" (December 2025), per Apple Music India.

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