From Gurugram, India, named by Greenpeace and IQAir AirVisual in 2019 as the most polluted city on the planet, comes Nivid, the ferocious industrial rock soundtrack to an environment bristling with Hellish energy. From a backdrop of a city built almost entirely by private companies, polarising the distinction between rich and poor like few places on Earth, Nivid are a musical embodiment of anger felt by those who are bearing the brunt of this turmoil. Nivid’s The World Around Me (Infinite Support) | Sanskaari is a song with a universal message which transcends its Hindustani language to hit home to rock, alternative and metal fans wherever they are.

Nivid is Aditya Virmani, a composer, multi-instrumentalist and producer, his recorded work being entirely a one-man project, his live performances being with a specially assembled band – Devasheesh Sharma (guitars) and Nihar Apte (bass). Inspired in particular by the gnarled, intoxicating music of Nine Inch Nails, Virmani is also behind the boutique media and audio design studio, Barren Sound. His skill in creating multi-textured cities of sound is, in part, as a result of a motorcycle accident with left him with a broken collarbone. Finding guitar-playing all but impossible, he used the time to hone his skills with synthesisers and technology, mixing elements from not just the rock world but dance and electronic.

The World Around Me (Infinite Support) | Sanskaari makes heavy use of his bit-crushed, distorted guitar effects directly through the amplifier, giving the impression it is emanating from a blown speaker. With swathes of unconventional samples and waves of Moog, the lyrics introduce an aggressive character riding the tides of nationalism, only to realise that it is these extreme views which are causing the ruin of their society. With a strong message describing the corrupting influence of politics and religion on all our lives, Nivid is the sound of a world at war with itself.