Album review: Ananda Sen’s Pages From The Past

Calcutta-bred, Goa-based singer-songwriter Ananda Sen, known for his work with indie-rock acts The Supersonics and The Ritornellos, has released what he calls the hardest album he’s ever made. Titled Pages From The Past, the album was over eight years in the making, with songs written over a span of fifteen years. “Each song became a snapshot of the time it was written,” Sen shares. “Some were from very difficult points in my life.”

In an age where music is increasingly engineered for short-form content and rapid consumption, the very existence of an album like this feels refreshing. Eight tracks, clocking in at 35 minutes, and yet it holds the weight of something much larger.

Sonically, it leans into heavily produced, polished pop-rock. There isn’t a strong melodic arc that runs through the album, but Sen’s voice, calm, steady, and unaffected, does the work of holding it together. The album is also packed with collaborations, featuring several of Sen’s former bandmates, including Avinash Chordia, Rohan Ganguli, Nicholas Rixon, Nitin Mani, and Roheet Mukherjee, along with contributions from indie peers like Bradley Tellis (The Colour Compound) and Suyasha Sengupta (The Ganesh Talkies), among others.

The title track ‘Pages From The Past’ sets the tone for the album’s introspective tone, rooted in memory, time, and emotional fragments. Several songs had taken shape years ago, including ‘Here Comes the Wave’, which Sen recalls performing live with The Supersonics, although in a very different form. He had originally planned to release a double album, but longtime collaborator and producer Miti Adhikari suggested keeping it focused. “Miti felt the eight we kept already carried enough emotional heft,” Sen said.

Ananda Sen with producer Miti Adhikari | Image courtesy: Ananda Sen

That choice proves effective. The album doesn’t try to overwhelm. Instead, it reveals itself slowly. I’ll admit, on first listen, the album didn’t land. It felt too clean, too polished, and despite its craft, it didn’t leave much of an impression. But something made me go back to it. And that’s when it started to land. This isn’t an album that grabs you. It’s one that lingers until you notice it’s stayed with you longer than expected.

Beyond the songwriting, the album carries a quiet sense of loss. Miti Adhikari, the album’s producer and sound engineer known for his work at the BBC's Maida Vale studios, passed away just a week before its release. “He really wanted the album out and was convinced it was some of my best work,” says Sen. “I regret not finishing it earlier.”

For me, the songs that lingered most were ‘Give It All Away’, ‘Chang’, and ‘Way Too Many Complications’. Their pacing, phrasing, and quiet urgency stayed with me long after the album ended. There’s a restraint in how they’re written and delivered, as if each one is holding something just beneath the surface. It’s that understated quality that makes them worth returning to.

Album artwork for Pages From The Past, designed by Spade | Image courtesy: Ananda Sen

Designed by Spade, the album art captures the emotional tone of Pages From The Past with a burning blue form floating above a delicate red bridge. It feels like a dreamscape of memory, strange, symbolic, and quietly arresting, that doesn’t try to explain the music but reflects its mood.

Pages From The Past isn’t trying to chase a moment. It’s an album made from memory, time, and long pauses. It’s not immediate, but it’s sincere. For listeners willing to slow down and lean in, it offers something enduring.

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Written by Manisha Maity | Instagram | Facebook | X | Email

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