Ajay Mathur releases new Music

Indian-born and now Switzerland-based singer/songwriter Ajay Mathur has re-written the story of the Phoenix. Just as the tale of the bird rising out of the ashes, he reminds listeners in his exceptional song “Start Living Again” that coming out of the dark is just one song away. In the same journey Gloria Estefan belted “Coming Out of the Dark”, The Imagine Dragons rocked “On Top Of The World” and Grand Funk Railroad took to new limits with “Gotta Find Me a Better Day”, Mathur champions through darkness to give listeners a light to shine in less than four minutes.

Mathur, who won Best Album of the Year for Little Boat at Germany’s 36^th Annual Rock & Pop Awards, weaves together a strong musical bed of rock, contemporary pop and even a peppering of 60s mellow-vibes. His foundation for “Start Living Again” must have started with The Beatles, The Beach Boys, James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, some Grateful Dead and perhaps some early 90s (very early 90s!) like The Rembrandts. It’s his voice, though, that made the biggest impression on me. It’s so suave. Aged, yet youthful. It felt almost delicate alongside the melodic guitar riffs (both acoustic and electric). The drums are not heavy in “Start Living Again” but they are still the heartbeat to the song and it’s movement. The arrangement and final edit is superb.

DEEZER: https://www.deezer.com/en/track/446707572?autoplay=true

Mathur said in an official press release, “It’s a song about making a decision on a relationship fallen apart. It’s about getting smart about your own life. It’s about a decision to pull yourself out of a bad relationship and start living again…sometimes the best thing we can do is let something pass, get ourselves together, get some space and just move on to what comes next.” I found this interesting because his voice is just so hopeful, and the song felt so positive to me. I never felt like it was coming from a dark place. I felt a strong connection of love and empathy coming from Mathur’s voice. I don’t think he wrote this song for himself – he wrote it for the world’s ears.

The video for “Start Living Again” is very electronic. Creator Ciro Ayala uses computer imagery and robust computer graphics to visually match, as well as snippets of lyrics in certain frames. I found this interesting – the song itself felt very earthy to me. It didn’t come across as computerized or having EDM foundations. I thought the two were conflicting in a way because the moods didn’t match. Still, the video is impressive, and I especially liked the shots with fires and destructing buildings. I guess my brain just created different images before watching the video!

“Start Living Again” fills the soul. It inspires and most of all, Mathur entertains. His arrangement and songwriting mastery is palpable in this latest track from 2018’s Little Boat. If you’re in search of a song that inspires you in a way – whatever hand life has dealt you – “Start Living Again” is a great start.

Mindy McCall