When Faridkot singer-songwriter IP Singh suggested to multi-instrumentalist, arranger and producer Rajarshi Sanyal that they call their new EP Ibtida (which means “beginning” in Urdu), his bandmate readily agreed. “There was no debate,” Sanyal tells Apple Music. “It completely made sense.” The five-song set—a long-awaited follow-up to the Hindi and Punjabi pop act’s second album, 2014’s Phir Se (their debut Ek was re-released in 2016)—is indeed a fresh start of sorts for the composer duo who some years back had decided to shift their focus to putting out individual tracks. “The biggest reason for the gap [between full-length releases] was that we felt audiences had started preferring singles,” Sanyal says. “Post [the pandemic-induced] lockdown, we feel they’re enjoying music in a more immersive way again.” Ibtida also marks the first collection Singh and Sanyal have shared since the former Delhi residents moved base to Mumbai—at different times, that is, over the past 10 years. “There was a bit of an adjustment,” Sanyal says, “getting to know people and understanding the environment.” It didn’t take long, however, for Faridkot’s core duo to flourish in India’s much-loved arts and entertainment hub. “It’s our home now,” Singh adds. “We opened a new studio in January, which is [another] beginning. This EP has made us as excited as [we were for] our debut album.” Love is the common thread that runs through the five songs on Ibtida. The duo tell Apple Music that this summed up their collective headspace at the time they started to write the music. “[Mumbai] has been amazing,” Sanyal says. “We’ve felt a lot of love here.” For Singh, romance has very much been in the air: “I got married last year so that’s been reflected in some way.” Below, they take us through the making of the EP, track by track. “Ek Samay” “It’s about the hesitation a person feels before being vulnerable to someone,” Singh says of the acoustic ballad. “That brief moment when you want to take the leap but you’re thinking about it.” That overall feeling, he adds, inspired the minimal instrumentation. “That’s why it’s so sparse,” Sanyal adds. “We didn’t want to overload it with sounds. The idea was to make it visceral but in a very soft way because it’s a very intimate song.” “Tu Dass Kivein” “My dad used to play the sitar so that’s a tribute from me to him,” Sanyal explains about the inclusion of the Indian classical stringed instrument—played by Zuber Sheikh—in this vibrant electro-pop Punjabi number. “Through the making of this album, I’ve grown to really appreciate how beautiful Indian instruments sound. When I was younger, because I was [following] a lot of Western music, I didn’t quite get it. [Now] I want to use them wherever possible.” “Main Na Jaanu Kyun “I’m a big admirer of Jubin [Nautiyal, Hindi film playback and pop singer],” Singh says. “I did some sessions with him and in that small [amount of time], I realised that he’s so skilled, the moment he gets on the mic, he just owns it.” In fact, Sanyal and Singh claim that Nautiyal was their “first choice” when the team at record label T-Series asked if they’d like to collaborate with another vocalist for this track, which captures the stirring emotions felt by many when they think of their beloved. “In the song,” Singh adds, “there’s a sort of Sufi flavour of losing oneself and surrendering to an experience you’re having, even though you don’t know why it’s happening.” “Chhad Ke Na Jaa” “This is for that bittersweet moment when [you know] you’re going to be away from someone you want to be with—but with that beautiful lingering hope of meeting again,” says Singh, who was partly inspired to write the tune after thinking about the migratory birds, such as flamingos, that visit Mumbai: “When they arrive, it brings me so much joy.” This is another track for which the duo roped in a guest vocalist—this time rising Bollywood talent Raghav Chaitanya. “It was one of those [times] when you meet someone and you’re filled with gratitude that you’re getting to work with them,” Singh says. “The guy is so passionate and enthusiastic.” “Aadatein” “I love Jack Johnson,” Singh says. “He’s made such an impression on me that I wanted to somehow give a nod to him.” Singh unabashedly admits that this song and its campfire, whistle-along vibe is what he imagines it would sound like “if Jack Johnson wrote a Hindi song”. Lyrically, it centres on getting used to someone and hoping to hold on to their companionship. “You’re scared that it shouldn’t go away,” Singh adds, “but in a way that you feel the love and you want it to continue.”