The Rishis: The Rishis

When alt-folk collective The Rishis released their debut album August Moon, it felt like a breath of fresh air with the musicians cherry picking elements of both dark and pastoral pop, psychedelic rock and country. Core members Ranjan Avasthi and Sofie Lute once again rounded up a bunch of like-minded musicians to see if they could make lightning strike twice. Spoiler: the answer is yes. The second helping, a self-titled album, once again taps into a wealth of genres, quite often mixing them up within the space of one track.

The Athens, GA based musicians have a knack for giving a voice to those who are not being heard, so it is no wonder that some of the songs on this album deal with lost identities and homelands. They try to make sense of why some people become violent or criminal - and sometimes both - which is quite ambitious, as no one has ever found the answer.

The Rishis: home town show @ Ciné Athens

Alt-folk collective The Rishis have announced a home town show @ Ciné in Athens, GA on April 29, with Scott Spillane EXP as the support act. They will be performing songs from their August Moon album: "a one-stop guide to Americana and soft-spoken psychedelic rock".

The Rishis: August Moon

Alt-folk collective The Rishis offer a one-stop guide to Americana and soft-spoken psychedelic rock on their August Moon album. With Ranjan Avasthi and Sofie Lute as the core the band grew into an octet that can play country (Make Me Love You), pastoral pop (Wake Up, Holi), dark college rock (Just Between You And Me) and a meandering instrumental with a clarinet leading the way (Uttar Pradesh).

August Moon is a slow burn, getting better with each listen. There must something in the air of Athens, GA, that enables musicians to roam freely, conjuring up melodies and arrangements, that will be the envy of any ambitious band trying to replicate what seems to come natural to this assembly of kindred spirits.

The Rishis: Just Between You And Me

Alt-folk collective The Rishis dip their toes in dark college rock in their new single Holiday, a track from their new album August Moon. Circling around the twin axis of Ranjan Avasthi and Sofie Lute are alumni of the Athens music scene - Scott Spillane (Neutral Milk Hotel), John Kiran Fernades (Olivia Tremor Control), Andrew Rieger (Elf Power), James Huggins III (Of Montreal), Andy Gonzalez(Marshmallow Coast), Peter Alvanos (Elf Power), Lucy Calhoun (Black Swan Network), Todd Kelly (Great Lakes, Phosphorescent), and Wild Rumpus founder Timi Conle. And while each musician is giving plenty of opportunity to make a mark, the music itself is a collaborative effort, once again proving that the sum is greater than its parts.

HCTF premiere - The Rishis: Holiday

At the core of alt-folk collective The Rishis is the duo of Ranjan Avasthi and Sofie Lute, but for the recording of their new album August Moon (vinyl, CD, digital on April 21 via Cloud Recordings and Elephant 6) they have grown into an octet by inviting their friends from the Athens, GA indie music scene. The new single Holiday is a 101 for acoustic and slide guitars having the back for top-shelf vocal harmonizing and subtle percussion, with a lonesome clarinet as a guiding light to bring it home.