The Alchemy of Chaos: 24 Karen Gold on the Bilingual Soul of “Avasta”

In the indie music scene, there is a thin line between a planned debut and a total accident. For 24 Karen Gold, a Kochi-based four-piece, that line is exactly where they live. A crew of lifelong friends and university misfits who exist in a non-stop loop of rehearsals and Milk Bikis, the band is building their path on a foundation of pure madness. Their debut single, “Avasta,” dropped on February 8, 2026, and it is more than just a bilingual track in Malayalam and English. It is a lesson in turning a cringe moment into a vibe, proving that sometimes the best art happens when you stop overthinking and just start blabbering.

For the band, this was not a calculated industry move. It was a childhood inside joke that accidentally became real life. Vocalist Jyotisha Santosh and bassist Athena Roy go way back to their school admission tests in Qatar, a journey that took them from Carnatic classes to school choirs and eventually to the stages of Kochi. This foundation got a serious kickstart when they met guitarist and producer George Mathew at university. George’s 60s rock obsession and self-taught magic provided the funky spark the group needed to turn schoolyard dreams into something tangible. The final piece of the puzzle was drummer Dennit Jacob, recruited by Athena after she spotted him looking famously clueless in an engineering exam hall. It turns out the best creative chemistry starts in the middle of a shared academic struggle.

“Avasta” is a bilingual track that started as a random jam session. What Jyotisha initially dismissed as a cringe-inducing lyrical idea was transformed by George’s funky guitar work into a narrative that the band describes as anything but boring. The recording process at WatB Studios was a whirlwind of sleep-deprived sessions and three-kilometer walks for sunrise dosas at Ambiswamis, capturing the raw energy of a group that refuses to take life too seriously. With a sound that draws from The Beatles and Nirvana while staying rooted in their own unique madness, the track is a celebration of the bilingual identity of modern Kerala.

The most "Karen Gold" part of the process was their refusal to let the grind kill the fun. Their time at WatB Studios was a blur of 3 km walks and a marathon music video shoot where Dennit, the resident "pookie," literally gifted everyone men’s boxers so they could survive an extra day on location. By ignoring a rigid schedule and embracing a loop of songwriting that starts five seconds before they pass out, they keep their vision beautifully insane. They live by a simple mantra: you cannot compete with a band fueled by consistent delusions and a shared face card.

As “Avasta” picks up steam on Spotify, the group is already eyeing the next horizon. They define their story in one word: Avasta. It is that willingness to go with the flow and lean into the madness that helped them transition from college friends to a full-blown unit without losing their souls.