MUMBAI: On 1 April, five bands from the country's five most musically inclined cities will compete against each other for an opportunity to record at the Converse Rubber Tracks studio in New York. Last edition's winners - The F16s - and Mumbai-based duo Shaa'ir + Func will be headlining the event, to be held at blueFROG Mumbai. The previous edition included Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, New Delhi and Chennai, however, the growing live scene in Pune and Guwahati, and the pouring requests from the bands of the two cities post-first edition success have been factors encouraging and convincing enough to find a spot for the second edition's regional rounds. With 375 bands participating for the regional rounds, the 2016 edition received 75% more registrations compared to the last edition. Converse's intention to encourage and provide a platform for raw talent, irrespective of the genre, continues with the second edition and the line-up for the finalists proves the same.

With 13 changes to the line-up since its inception, Bangalore's space/ambient rock band Space Is All We Have has evolved into more than 'yet-another-college-band-experimenting-with-sound'. With tracks like 'Craters' and 'She's From Venus', the evolution of the band's sound has proven effective for its growth and acted as the most intricate part of its image in the Bangalore circuit. SIAWH received more votes than some of the city's more experienced and known bands, and that factor speaks highly of its refreshing sound. What started at the architecture college, grew into serious full-time passion and the band apart from their musical influences, have something else to thank for. "We are currently working on our new album. The name hasn't been finalised yet, but I guess, we'd eventually go with 'Thank You, Universe,'" said Krishna, the lead guitarist. The members speak passionately about music, and the passion also extends to science. Krishna has an interesting theory about the black holes. "No one knows what exists in the black hole. My theory is, if we go through a black hole, heaven exists on the other end."

Did that give you an idea on how intricate the band's sound is? Still no? Check out their track 'The After Effect'

The decade-old argument on the negligence towards the North-eastern music scene, surely, had David Kom ponder upon the issue, although the guitarist of Shillong's alternative/punk rockers Dossers Urge believes you cannot clap with one hand. "Musicians (from North East) have to come out and perform in other cities whenever opportunities arise. The effort needs to be taken from both sides," insists Kom. Kom had been sending his materials to publications and artist agencies for the past few years, but all in vain. With performances at NH7 Weekender and Ziro festival under the belt, the Kom brothers' musical journey started in the church and the first exposure as a 'band' came through the freshers' meet in their hometown. David Kom claims 'Dossers Urge' could be the world's most senseless name, but the band has 'Foo Fighters' to compete with, for that recognition. However, on 1 April, the competition wouldn't be about the names, but purely about the music and the band plans to play its usual set for the same. The band considers Weekender as the best experience so far, but the ultimate victory at Rubber Track could very well change that.

And here's why we think so....

A collaborative effort with Shaa'ir + Func for Ray Ban's 'Never Hide Sounds' provides a 'tiny edge' for Pune's pop rock outfit Skylight Vision over its competitors, but the band has another unique (among the finalists) factor to count on - hindi vocals. And Gaurav Tophakhane - who's in charge for the same - expects to hit the studios for the band's second EP, later this year. "Well, we made some money after the Bandcubator competition, and we've been contemplating for using the prize money to carry the band's journey to next logical step," informs Gaurav. Skylight Vision - a relatively popular name in Pune circuit - performed with Unohu at blueFROG Mumbai last year, however, the return to the venue will be a bit more competitive and vital for the six members.

Skylight Vision has a serious shot at flying to Brooklyn for the ultimate experience. Don't believe us? Here you go...

The youngest band in the competition comprises of three members who call themselves Unohu. Unohu performed at Control Alt Delete within a year since its formation and the trio have never looked back since. Mumbai-based alternative rock band Unohu's sound continues to remain diverse, but the essence revolves around 'alternative rock' - sonically. With influences ranging from Porcupine Tree to Tycho, Unohu ensured the sound they create becomes the band's identity.

Well, with songs like this, there's not much to argue

Heavily influenced by Japanese anime and the language, Delhi-based Tarana Marwah focused on materialising the impact created by the Japanese culture during her teenage years. However, it was only about 18 months ago, Tarana Marwah (aka Komorebi) bought a Macintosh and executed sounds to quench her creative thirst. Komorebi, undoubtedly, has the most distinctive sound (and genre) among the finalists, but Tarana - who intends to have fun at the finals - has more than one reason to be excited about. "I just finished my new 8-track album titled 'Soliloquy.' The sweet success with the first EP (produced by Skyharbor's Keshav Dhar) provided the necessary boost to continue with the sound," explains Tarana, who describes the sound as minimalistic or subtle, "just like the Japanese language."

Well, you surely won't have to be skilled with the language to understand the beauty of Komorebi. Check it out