In terms of the group's sound, Dhamakapella has been fun to watch grow. Just last year, I thought that the group's EP Azira was deserving of praise for bringing fresh concepts to mash-up culture with its bright and jazzy South Asian styled vocals. Now Dhamakapella has returned with the release of its new EP, Junoon, which is grand in production and true to form with Dhamakapella's exceptional vocal execution. While the music is solid, I find myself wanting the bar raised even higher when it comes to the group's emotional believability.

Junoon opens with Like I Would / Tere Hoke Rahenge, an aesthetically pleasing track that is super artsy without being too stagy. Dhamakapella wavers between two competing forces as they balance the song's heavy feel with oftentimes light vocals. Backing parts consist mainly of quick hits and movements that set up what is to come. The production itself on all vocals is superb, but there are obvious moments when the arrangement feels sparse and in need of more layering. However, Reina Samuel and Anirudh Raghuvir's lead vocals fill the void with their stout delivery, marrying Samuel's sultriness with Raghuvir's energized runs. Overall, it is a good performance that is in need of more fireworks in terms of memorable moments.

Red Desert / Vaseegara starts with a bang and ends similarly. Dhamakapella's intensity and thematic variance in just the first minute of the track is bold and refined. It is a step forward compared to the opener of Junoon. The group's transitioning between Red Desert and Vaseegara is nearly flawless. Blink and you won't even realize it happens. The depth that Bhavya Mahesh's voice possesses on Vaseegara is rich and chill-inducing, leaving the listener in a state of pure tranquility. Perhaps the only real knock on the track is that its end feels premature and abrupt.

Out of the three tracks, Past Lives / Mitwa feels the most complete on every front. It executes immensely on the South Asian vocal stylings with the group's soaring runs. Both Harshini Somisetty and Kethan Srinivasan's lead vocals contrast in the most wonderful way, giving the song edge and balance. While both deliver their parts well, Somisetty's vocals in particular add the necessary emotional conviction and nuance that is missing from the first two tracks. The lighter feel of Past Lives / Mitwa also happens to balance out the heavier tones created by the rest of the album. There is an airiness in which Dhamakapella sings with on this track that beckons the listener to be drawn in. Be it the colorful delivery of the bass or the cohesive movements of the group, it is all conducive to creating a special piece.

Past Lives / Mitwa does a quality job in vocal execution. Now Dhamakapella needs to ramp up believability, that element that comes from digging deep emotionally. Some minor tweaks there and the group will have all of the tools needed to be a powerhouse in contemporary a cappella.

Another year, another 3-song EP from Dhamakapella. Let's dig right in.

I can appreciate the skill and creativity of the first two tracks on this release. However, I have a hard time stomaching both tracks for the same reason: motifs may repeat, but the tracks grow and evolve too rapidly. Arranger Juniper Duncan has so many ideas that they lose individual importance. For instance, consider the quotes of Delta Rae's Bottom of the River within Red Desert / Vaseegara. It's a significant enough quote approximately 45 seconds into the piece that it feels relevant. However, it just becomes filler. Ideas are thrown in at such a frantic pace that I'm unable to catch my footing and discern the verses and the chorus. I am taken aback when we reach the climax of the piece; there is no natural ebb and flow in the verses and chorus, it just becomes a sudden swell to a high point. Without any consistent themes or motifs, I am turned around and feeling more confused than triumphant when the big moments occur.

Past Lives / Mitwa seems to correct some of these issues. The backings are a little bit simpler, but there is more to mentally grasp. The changes between verse and chorus feel more natural, even if they are shared between two languages. This track becomes complex but fun. I'm actively intrigued at each turn and I want to spend time studying this track because it's fun with a number of rhythms. There is even a pointed effort to play with dynamics that I greatly appreciate. The forte-piano to end the piece is a great creative touch that has me on the edge of my seat waiting for the next phrase, only to be slightly saddened that the piece ends.

Junoon feels like a piece of art in a museum. I can understand the beauty. I can understand the significance. I can also find myself uninterested in the work because I am unable to connect with it. However, I am only one listener. Check out this release and see if you can connect with it in ways that I cannot.

Dhamakapella's Junoon is one step forward, two steps back. Recording another ICCA competition set, the group's core sound has gotten a lot tighter, while the overall set structure has become more meandering and unfocused. There is a more solid foundation than ever here, but without cohesion and arc, that foundation goes nowhere.

Junoon opens with Like I Would / Tere Hoke Rahenge. Or rather, it opens with United In Grief by Kendrick Lamar, for a hot second, and then into the expected track. It's a little out-of-nowhere and doesn't tie into anything later, but I was hoping it was a one-off (it is not). Then there is a series of very well arranged, tight harmonies as the track progresses through one cool musical embellishment after another. These are technically impressive; well-delivered with great dynamics. But then the track just ends before any arc or climax is reached. Strange, and a bit unfulfilling, but maybe this is part of a larger EP/performance set arc?

It is not. Red Desert / Vaseegara follows a very similar progression of cool moments arranged in a wild order that doesn't build up or resolve to anything major. And once again, the track ends abruptly. And this time, instead of an out-of-place United In Grief reference, it's an out-of-place reference to Bottom of the River by Delta Rae. So once again, we end up with a lot of moments and some strong voicings carrying those moments, but without cohesion.

Past Lives / Mitwa is a lot better about this — there is legitimately a journey to the song and a climax into a resolution. The track is generally a lot more focused, making it far more effective than the previous two. Here, the limitation for me is the song choice — the arrangement tries to rework Past Lives into an epic finale, but it doesn't exactly fit that style, neither harmonically or lyrically. So it's cohesive, but feels shoehorned at the same time.

On a bright note, credit to Dhamakapella for fixing the liner notes! In the past, I had urged the group — as I've done for many others — to credit songwriters instead of only original performers, and they did on this EP. So, thank you for that!

As harsh as I may come across when reviewing this EP, it's because I've now seen what Dhamakapella can do at its best. While reviewing Junoon, I revisited Azira, the recorded competition set I last reviewed for the group. I was reminded all over again just how much the group can turn a competition performance into a powerful journey. Now that they've shown what they're capable of, they've set the bar that high, and that's a good thing.