‘confessions’ is track #7 from Rainburn’s upcoming record ‘thirty-seven’, a concept album about a near-death experience while stranded at sea.
After surviving the ordeal, Rainburn frontman Vats Iyengar transformed the experience into thirty-seven, the Bangalore progressive rock trio’s third album, due for release on 4 November 2026. Across nine connected songs, the record explores faith, humanity’s perceived superiority over nature, love and mortality, while pushing Rainburn’s sound into new territory through industrial rhythms, electronic textures and stark acoustic guitar.
The song, confessions, finds the album’s protagonist reflecting on a life weighed down by regrets and guilt, wondering who will remember them as the end draws near.
“We wanted the video to tell a story of its own, independent of the album’s narrative, while staying true to the song’s central themes.” – Vats Iyengar
The upcoming album marks a clear shift from the band’s earlier work. Synthesizers, samples and hard-edged drum tones now carry as much weight as intricate art-rock passages, while sparse acoustic sections expose a more vulnerable side of the music. Songs often flow directly into one another, making thirty-seven best experienced from beginning to end with gapless playback.
“The sonic template for this record was very different from what we’ve had in the past – we were referencing bands like Depeche Mode, Rammstein and Nine Inch Nails far more than bands that are usually classified as prog,” says Iyengar. “Of course, all these new elements were pulled into the ambit of the Rainburn sound, so this is very much a deeply conceptual progressive rock album, albeit with some unique twists.”
That change in sound is part of the album’s narrative. Its industrial textures symbolise human invention and technological advancement, while the simple, exposed acoustic guitar represents the strength of nature. Together, they reflect the record’s central idea: despite humanity’s progress and powerful position on Earth, a person can be rendered helpless only a few steps beyond the limits of familiar surroundings.
Although divided into nine songs, thirty-seven was conceived as one continuous work. Musical ideas return across the album: “defy” reappears during the outro of “you”, while material from “god” resurfaces in the middle section of “nearer”. These recurring motifs bind the individual songs into a larger composition.
Each track also carries its own part of the story. “god” questions faith from an agnostic perspective; “kings” examines humanity’s presumed superiority over nature; “you” turns towards love; and “nearer” confronts mortality. Lyrical allusions, symbolism and double meanings run throughout the album.
The lower-case presentation is deliberate. The album title, every song title and all text on the artwork appear in lower case, taking their cue from “god” and reflecting what Iyengar describes as essentially an agnostic man’s album.
Drummer Neilroy Miranda also mixed thirty-seven, shaping the record around the needs of the individual songs rather than a fixed production reference.
“I approached the post-production process according to what our songs needed rather than trying to reference existing albums or blindly adhering to standard practices. The result is a balanced record where everything sounds just right.”
Formed in Bangalore in 2011, Rainburn have built an international reputation through a series of releases and extensive touring across India. Their debut EP, Canvas of Silence, was selected by Classic Rock Magazine as one of the Top 5 Prog Releases of 2015. Their first full-length album, Insignify, followed in 2018 and was named by Rolling Stone India as one of the Top 10 Indian Albums of the year, while also earning the band a feature in Prog Magazine.
Rainburn released the follow-up EP Resignify in 2019 and their second album, Vignettes, in 2023, receiving favourable coverage from Prog and Rolling Stone Magazines. Their touring history includes Progworks on Wheels in 2016, the Insignify India Tour in 2019, the Four East and MURN tours in 2022, and appearances in the Prog Encounters festival series in 2024.
thirty-seven was conceived, composed and written by Vats Iyengar. It was recorded at Octavium Music Academy in Bangalore, mixed by Neilroy Miranda and mastered by Thomas Cassell at Sage Audio in Chicago. Artwork is by Visions in Blue Illustrations.
Rainburn release thirty-seven on 4 November 2026.
Album tracklist:
1. capsize
2. god
3. desolation
4. defy
5. kings
6. you
7. confessions
8. nearer
9. hereafter
Rainburn are:
Vats Iyengar — vocals, electric guitars, bass, synthesizers, samples
Neilroy Miranda — drums, background vocals, synthesizers, samples
Saakallya Biswas — acoustic guitar, background vocals, lead guitar on “god”
Connect with Rainburn:
Official Website: http://www.rainburn.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/rainburnofficial
Facebook: www.facebook.com/rainburnofficial
