Photograph by Shantanu Krishnan

For over ten years, Chennai based four-piece The F16s have been churning towards an ongoing refinement of their vision. From their 2013 debut Kaleidoscope, to the 2014 studio tie up with Converse that birthed "Nobody's Gonna Wait", through to their 2016 breakthrough "Triggerpunkte", this vision has mirrored both a maturity of execution and a certain gravity from listeners worldwide - as ten million Spotify streams and coverage in StereoGum, Brooklyn Vegan and Variety clearly suggest. Their forthcoming release, “Is It Time To Eat The Rich Yet?”, was borne of an extended iteration of this evolution as authored from an observer’s distant stare, one forged on intimately experiencing how a global pandemic needlessly compromised not only the lives of millions here in India, but more personally their own. Through extended periods of economic uncertainty and a corresponding focus to develop their craft, this music explores alienation with lyrical wit intact - “dancing to our doom” as one member frames it - via sonics that pull listeners in almost by the juxtaposition of the sentiment. This is a joyful celebration of the human condition under duress, scored by some of the finest pop music this country has on offer.