Workspace odyssey: Returning to work in a new world

Kochi: When Chai Met Toast (indie band)

(Clockwise from top left) Achyuth Jaigopal, Ashwin Gopakumar, Palee Francis, Sailesh Pai

When Chai Met Toast released their first single 'Maybe I Can Fly' from their upcoming debut album When We Feel Young in mid-July, with all four band members working from their homes and Francis putting it together at his home studio. “We had an album coming up, so we didn’t want the work to stall,” says Jaigopal. Although they miss the usual jamming sessions, the band is used to working remotely—since Gopakumar lives in Thiruvananthapuram—and ideating through video calls and WhatsApp. With the relaxations in place now, some of them meet once in a while at the home studio. They feel the pandemic has given them more space to be creative. “We are using this time to discuss more ideas and finetune our skills,” says Gopakumar.