MUMBAI: The multi-hyphenate artist joins hands with legendary guitarist Gussy Rikh on this dreamy, nostalgic track for a rare delivery of distinct instrumentation, intricate solos and washy visuals. Ankur’s new release is a creation close to his heart, with his own son Arjun portraying the younger version of him on the song about childhood, growing up and time passing by.

Ankur alludes to a “ship of memories” as Drifting is about “Coming to terms with the fact that nothing lasts forever and time moves on. However, it is not a sad song,” he explains. Children’s doodles, ocean themed imagery projected over a lived-in abode, retro televisions telecasting the kid avatar of Ankur come alive in the music video.

The striking nylon guitar work is courtesy of Gussy Rikh whom Ankur calls, “...a personal mentor who encouraged me immensely in my younger years. To have had him play on this track was incredibly special,” he adds. The video is directed once again by frequent collaborator Mrinal Bahukhandi who directed the award winning music video Better Man (2021) and The Ride (2021). Other embellishments in the sonic treatment of Drifting include the electric guitar fillers by Gussy and the use of metal brushes for the drums by Suyash Gabriel. Produced by ace mixing engineer Keshav Dhar, the vocals the listener hears on used for Drifting are the scratch vocals as recorded by Ankur in his bedroom. Ankur’s heartfelt bedroom recording was so emotive that Keshav preferred to go ahead with those for the final mix.

Ankur has been a familiar name in the capital’s Music & Theatre circles. The actor and singer has also famously been the front man for 2 rock and roll bands Canzona and Gone Fishing before releasing his solo EP in 2020. In 2021, Ankur’s music video for Better Man was selected as one of the 10 best music videos from India by Rolling Stone India. In the video, he plays multiple characters using mime as the theatrical medium. The song was part of his maiden solo EP titled ‘The Ride’ released in 2020 which garnered appreciation for its simplicity and distance from current trending formulas in the music landscape. Ankur is also a seasoned theatre actor and has played leading roles in several musicals like Grease, West Side Story, Evita, Fame, Hair etc. He was seen most recently in Mira Nair’s Monsoon Wedding Musical (Pre-view staging in New Delhi in 2019).