The Five-Year Wait Was Worth It! | Circus Act by Skrat
Back in 2019, I was mesmerised by a tune like no other. Ever since that day, I have craved to have the tune play on repeat. And that day is finally here.
Live concert in 2019
2019 for me was the year I look back on fondly. Freshly out of uni, I had some time to de-stress and break free from the routine that had been established for over 4 years.
I made it a point to travel a lot more that year, visiting many countries like the UK and Singapore. I also indulged in my love for live music, both discovering new talent locally and travelling to many cities to watch my favourite bands perform live.
On one such occasion, in Nov 2019, at Fandom in Bangalore, I was lucky enough to hear my favourite band of all time, Skrat, perform their then unreleased song, Slingscot.
The song sounded familiar yet novel. I was particularly dumbfounded by the technical mastery on display in the guitar solo that leads the song to its natural end.
I loved the storytelling combined with their three-piece band energy. Eagerly listening to their world building and their intricate solos alongside their unmatched energy on stage.
That day, I wondered when I would finally get to listen to that tune again. And that day arrived last month.
Circus Act
Circus Act by Skrat was released on 18 Jan 25. I have since heard the album in its entirety almost every day, especially Slingscot, the song that I'd been waiting over five years to hear.
Hearing that mesmerising solo once again was indescribable. And in addition, I was treated to five whole songs that were all just as brilliant.
Skrat has a unique style, where their songs build a world filled with interesting characters and story lines. And with each album their world gets developed further and further. This album retells the story of Slingscot and is set prior to Bison.1
Not only do you get a virtuosic lead guitar and powerful vocals from Sriram TT to set the scene. You also get energetic drums from Tapass and groovy bass from Jhanu that fully emersed you in their world.
And most uniquely, their garage band style of music is taken quite literally, with the band recording the songs in a garage with no metronome or anything fancy like that.1
The blend of brilliant storytelling, the instruments and the amazing vocals is a tantelizing cocktail that leaves you wanting more.
And it looks like this is only the start. In a recent interview on the Indian Times, Sriram hints that the band has a lot in store for us.1 I, for one, am very excited to see what they do next.
No metronomes, no layered tracks, no isolated instrument recording — just a pure, live performance inside a garage.
Wrapping up
Skrat released their last album in 2017, a year before I first discovered them. So it has been a real pleasure to immerse myself in some of their new music. I am looking forward to the day that I get to watch them live again!
It might come across as no surprise that I highly recommend Circus Act by Skrat!
Other recommendations this week:
- Stardew Valley: After a long time, I finally dove deep into this game and found an interesting story with deep and complicated characters.
- Linux Mint: Windows 11 not supported on your aging computer? Consider giving Linux Mint a go, as I managed to revive an old Thinkpad that works fine otherwise.
- Medito: A free and accessible way to get into meditation.
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https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/2025/Feb/06/rhythm-in-rebellion-skrats-musical-experiment-in-circus-act↩