7/10

There’s ambition, and then there’s MRIDHANGIT. Rahul Mukerji’s latest full-length stretches across continents, pulling together voices, traditions, and identities into something that feels genuinely boundaryless.

From the opening moments, there’s a palpable sense of scale. Tracks like 'Mr. Sinister' introduce a darker, more volatile edge, where intricate guitar work coils around shifting rhythmic foundations, creating tension that feels almost cinematic. It’s intense, but never overwhelming, as every detail is placed with precision, giving the chaos a sense of purpose.

What makes 'MRIDHANGIT' so exhilarating is its constant movement between contrasting emotional landscapes. 'Kalli Penn' bursts open with a sense of warmth and interplay, driven by vibrant keys and rhythm sections that feel almost conversational. Meanwhile, 'Dushtan' carries a different kind of weight that is layered, dramatic, and rich with tonal colour, as it showcases the album’s ability to move from intimacy to grandeur without losing cohesion.

At the heart of the record lies collaboration as its very foundation. You can hear it in the way each track breathes differently, shaped by the distinct voices involved. The percussive complexity brought by Praveen Sparsh adds a deep-rooted rhythmic intelligence, while Leo Margarit’s drumming injects a dynamic, almost restless energy that propels the entire project forward. Elsewhere, touches like the haunting duduk on 'Mutabor' or the fluid piano work across tracks such as 'Enjoymaddi' and 'Four Seas' introduce textures that expand the album’s emotional reach even further.

While the title-track feels like the project distilled into a single moment It’s here that the album’s core philosophy becomes clearest: this is music built on exchange, dialogue, and the idea that creativity multiplies when it’s shared.

Ultimately, 'MRIDHANGIT' is a statement about what modern music can be when borders, both geographic and stylistic, are treated as starting points rather than limits.