* En anglais uniquement
Inspired by the angular, adrenalized garage and post-punk revivalism of 2000s acts like
the Strokes and
LCD Soundsystem,
the F16s emerged as part of India's own indie rock wave in the early 2010s, issuing the debut EP Kaleidoscope in 2013. Leaning more heavily into psychedelic pop, the full-length Triggerpunkte appeared in 2016.
The F16s followed their debut album with a series of short-form releases including 2021's
Is It Time to Eat the Rich Yet? EP.
Part of a festival-headlining indie rock revival in India that also consisted of bands like Mumbai's the Lightyears Explode and Delhi's
Peter Cat Recording Co.,
the F16s hail from coastal Chennai. They formed in 2012 while three of the of the members were still in college. Their playful guitar hooks, rousing choruses, and the sometimes-snarling vocal delivery of singer/guitarist Josh Fernandez first appeared in recorded form on their debut EP, Kaleidoscope, in 2013. Joining Fernandez in the lineup was guitarist Abhinav Krishnaswamy, keyboardist/sampler Harshan Radhakrishnan, bassist Sashank Manohar, and drummer Vikram Yesudas. The quintet headed to Brooklyn to record the next year's two-song release Nobody's Gonna Wait. Featuring the streaming hit "Moon Child," their full-length debut, Triggerpunkte, leaned more heavily into psychedelic pop. It was recorded in Chennai and Mumbai.
The F16s signed with Oxford, Mississippi label House Arrest in time for their 2019 EP, WKND FRNDS, which was accompanied by U.S. reissues of their prior collections. Another EP,
Is It Time to Eat the Rich Yet?, followed on the label in 2021. ~ Marcy Donelson