The alternative music band from Delhi is fueled by nostalgia and a desire to create distinctive music.
A passion for making distinctive music, mixed with the courage of experimentation and the flame of nostalgia, is all it took for the creation of the entity that stands vibrant and pulsating in the indie music space of the country—one that is justifiably a hidden gem and also one with endless rhythms. Meet Dee en, a fever dream that turned into a reality and continues to expand.
Saurav, Ashrey, and Aditya are three college friends sharing a passion for music. One fine evening, the three got together to have a jam session, and according to Saurav, it just "clicked," and that's how the act came to life. However, Dee en was never a band to begin with. It was just a project that Saurav and Ashrey started after college to let their creativity out into the world by making the music they wanted, which later turned into the "band" Dee en that we know of.
"Dee en," which was meant to represent "The End," doesn't actually end if you add a "D" to the end. It becomes "DEE ENDEE," and you can keep adding "ENDEE" to the end endlessly....... Makes sense?"
The name of the act itself reflects the power of nostalgia and the personal touch of the members. The name Dee en is inspired by Saurav Debnath's school nickname "DN" and the track "This is the End" by the Doors, which is an American rock band formed in 1965 with the famous vocalist Jim Morrison.
"Dee en was a project we started to try new things and perhaps music that we hadn't heard around us, at least back then."
The act started with the aim of creating music that they hadn't heard before, walking on this path of originality and pursuing the goal of making music that is unique, their own, and sounded like their consciousness. The major strength of the band is drawn from the individuality of each member. Saurav, Ashrey, and Aditya each come from different backgrounds and bring expertise in different areas. While Saurav, who comes from Assam, has been a part of multiple metal and rock bands, Ashrey from Meerut is a trained classical pianist, and Aditya, trained in guitar and possessing music production skills, blends their unique skills, experiences, and tastes to build up a free-flowing form of music that is raw and real.
Over the course of their journey up until now, they have released three projects, all representing a unique theme and sound that the band wanted to bring forward at that point, showcasing their mindset and influences in that specific period in time.
The major source of inspiration for Dee en comes from vintage music like old Bollywood stuff and the '60s rock wave, including psych rock, which the band heavily emphasizes in their sound. Talking about influence, nostalgia plays a huge factor in the overall presentation of the crew, trying to recreate things that they loved as children and communicate the same old feeling to their listeners is what drives them and sets them apart as not just music men but experience curators. They take inspiration from music, video games, retro bars, animation, and their afternoon nap dreams, expressing everything that made them in a way like no other.
The evidence of which can be seen in their project rollouts of their latest drop "Saturn Return," which features the band in a cosmic entity way with a trippy environment, whether it is the cover arts, the music video for "Troglodyte," and the overall promotional content. Dee en forms experiences around their projects like true creatives, which catches your eye on the first glance, igniting a sense of curiosity in the mind, which is fulfilled by their music, which is expressive, boundless, and imaginative like a child's drawing taking turns as the heart wants.
"By the end of 2020, we completed writing most of the songs, and by 2021 had a version of the album ready. But, it sounded lo-fi as hell, which isn't a bad thing, but we collectively felt it didn't do justice to the songs."
"Saturn Returns," the latest EP by Dee en, is their return to the indie stage after a long hiatus from music, but it didn't come to fruition with ease. The EP was completed by 2021, but the members remained unsatisfied with the product, and so they decided not to release it. Moving out to different cities during COVID, Saurav, Aditya, and Ashrey worked individually in isolation on their own craft, honing themselves, and also started reworking on the project online, completely changing the sound until the point that they were satisfied with it. The project embodies the feelings and emotions of the members that they felt in the past few years, growing in their own ways and experiencing emotions of loneliness, anger, and frustration stemming from their own lives.
"The future holds more records, more lovers, more collaborations, lots of touring, and a lot more listeners. More is the word."
As they build upon their return with "Saturn Returns," the act looks forward to 2024 with more records, collaborations, and touring. Also saving the planet, breaking the Billboard, and winning consecutive Grammys for the best alternative category!
Dee en is an endless journey full of self-expression, experimentation, and experiences.
Thank you for reading.
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