Raavi (formerly Raavi & the Houseplants) is the project of Brooklyn-based queer-desi songwriter Raavi Sita. Joined by James Duncan (bass) and Jason Block (drums), and with the production talents of Justin Termotto, Sita crafts a brand of indie rock that simultaneously reaches into the past and focuses on the present. Nineties alt-rock is a big influence, as is the guitar-driven emo-tinged indie of the last decade or so (the band cite the likes of Palehound and Forth Wanderers as influences), but there are plenty of fresh ideas too. And all of this is held together by something less measurable, a sense of unguarded openness that stems from Sita’s melodic vocals and fearless but sincere songwriting.
Next month, Raavi will release a brand new EP, It Grows on Trees, via Barcelona label Beauty Fool Records. The record was conceived in the summer of 2020, when Sita spent time in her basement, sifting through a her father’s large collection of poetry books. The work of these writers (who wrote in English, Urdu and Punjabi) encourage Sita to take on a more introspective tone, to seek clarity in everything from familial bonds, struggles with self-worth and pervasive themes of conflict and hurt.
Sita found inspiration not just in the poems themselves but also the artworks that decorated the covers. So she enlisted Somnath Bhatt, a contemporary artist and designer whose work is deeply inspired by desi art, to create a visual accompaniment to the EP, which can be seen in the beautiful cover and single art.
Ahead of the EP’s release, Raavi have unveiled lead single ‘Lazy Susan’, which offers the perfect illustration of what to expect from the record. The nods to the 90s are evocative without feeling derivative, and for all its blunt honesty and self-deprecating worry, it rocks hard enough to bring a genuine sense of catharsis.
Photo by Mia Manning