MUMBAI: Bangalore-based folk/indie-rock band Mahesh and the Mix hope to take the crowdfunding route for their first full-length studio album, which is expected to release by 2016. However, before that, the band plans on releasing an EP by later this year, revealed frontman Mahesh Raghunandan.

When asked about the upcoming records, Raghunandan said, “We have ten to fifteen original tracks that are ready to be recorded. The plan is to play as many gigs as we can in the next few months, followed by an EP release, which will either have live tracks or studio recorded tracks.” That plan, Raghunandan said, is aimed to be executed in the next three months.

Once the EP has been released, the members of Mahesh and the Mix plan to raise funds for the band’s first full-length studio album, using the means of crowdfunding. “We plan to get people acclimatised to us and our music as much as we can, through the EP. Once we have a good enough fan following, we will start our crowdfunding plan to release an album, or at least a major portion of the album,” stated Raghunandan.

When asked about the sound of the album, Raghunandan added, “The sound, as a whole, has strong elements of melancholic R&B and acoustic folk rock.” As some of the band’s major music influences, Raghunandan cited multiple Grammy Award winners John Mayer and Radiohead, along with BRIT Award winner Ben Howard, Academy Award winner Glen Hansard and Damien Rice.

Raghunandan has been active in the independent music scene for about four years, and has released a number of solo music videos, two of which were in association with Qyuki Digital Media. Formed in May 2014, Mahesh and the Mix features lead vocalist Raghunandan, guitarist Anish Nadh and drummer Ashwin Shekhar.