The Story
The NRIs formed in late 2008 and went on to record 2 EPs on our own with the help of some friends, 2010's "8:42am" and 2011's "Kings and Birds." By doing the recordings ourselves and calling in favors, there was money left over to give those EPs a proper release on CD. After a recommendation from Chad Clark (Beauty Pill, Silver Sonya Recording and Mastering), The NRIs decided to go to the famed Inner Ear Studios in Arlington, VA, and work with Eamonn Aiken in Studio B, Bastille Recording. The result was 2012's stellar EP, "The Charm," which was unfortunately only released through Bandcamp and iTunes (after all that work we were left handing out a 2x2 sticker, folks!). By the end of 2013, The NRIs were ready to go back to Bastille, and with Eamonn's help producing and engineering, and TJ Lipple mixing, The NRIs have their best yet: the 5 song EP entitled "Playground."
The Music
The band's sound owes a lot to the diverse background and musical tastes of lead NRI songwriter, Nayan Bhula, an Indian kid who was born in South Africa, grew up in Toronto, and found his love of music in Washington, D.C. This album, and the rest of the songs in The NRIs' catalog, reflect influences from all of these parts of Nayan's life and from the diverse musical backgrounds of the rest of the members.
The "Playground" EP explores themes of permanence, but with an underlying vision of hope, wrapped in pop hooks, harmonies, horns, violins, pianos, guitars, drums, and anything else we could get our hands on in the studio. The title track is a dreamscape lullaby for Nayan's daughter.
The Goal
Plain and simple...we need your support. We are looking to raise $4000 to help us release "The Charm" and the new "Playground" EP on real, tangible musical artifact -- preferably vinyl and CD. We'll be pre-selling the record here in all its formats, and also offering some amazing perks such as house shows, private music lessons, a home-cooked Indian or vegetarian meal, and (yes, seriously) 2 tickets to a Washington Nationals game! We are hoping to also fund an official music video for the track "Across the River" -- our love letter to DC. One of the perks is a chance for you to appear in our video! Every little bit counts, so help us spread the word by sharing this through Indiegogo and all your social networks. This record will change your life (or at least ours!), so help us get it released with all the bells and whistles! Thank you, and Namaste!