Redd Alluri’s tale is a fascinating one. He never heard any western music when growing up in Hyderabad, the capital of Telangana state in Southern India, instead being force-fed endless Tollywood – a regional version of Bollywood. His moment of enlightenment came, finally, when his older brother returned home after finishing university, bringing the classic rock of Guns’N’Roses with him.
This was the path that led Alluri to, randomly, Ricky Gervais’ XFM podcasts. From there he was off: introduced to the wonders of The Smiths, Nick Cave, Joy Division and The Cure, and eventually making the leap to the UK, where he’s now based.
‘Man Of Truth’ was recorded in Brighton and sounds a lot like the brighter moments of late 1990s Britpop. Key track ‘All The Women’ has a brilliantly caustic lyric about, seemingly, the politics back home, and sounds both fiery and vital. ‘It’s With You’, meanwhile, is underpinned by a neat Kinks-influenced riff.
Stream the album on Spotify and Apple Music now.
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