When I heard Packers & Movers for the first time it felt like finding a hidden gem. In an era where new bands bombard the internet, this band was walking the opposite lane. ‘Two years. One album. Zero posts. That changes today,’ the trio had announced on Instagram when they broke their silence. It was a bold way to introduce their debut album, and it perfectly encapsulated Packers & Movers’ ethos: they’re in it for the music, not the metrics.
BEDROOM ROCK, PURE AND SIMPLE
Packers & Movers, comprised of vocalist-guitarist Dhanush, producer-bassist Aditya aka Addy, and drummer Paul, call their sound ‘Bedroom Rock,’ and they mean that quite literally. ‘This album was entirely produced, recorded, and engineered at Dhanush’s house. No fancy studios. Just a few borrowed mics, some shitty-but-lovable guitars, and a noisy room’ they share. The result is their debut album Men and Their Major Chords, a homegrown alt-rock record forged over two years. As the band proudly puts it, ‘It’s far from polished, but it’s real… about capturing truth, embracing imperfection, and telling our story as it is; sincere and fully us.’ Their first single, Boys & Girls, released this August, offers a glimpse of that approach. Featuring earnest vocals over lush guitars, the song carries the DIY grit of a band unafraid of rough edges, even as the production shines. Call it indie rock or call it Bedroom Rock, either way, Packers & Movers’ music wears its heart on its sleeve.
FROM OVER THE EDGE TO A NEW CHAPTER
The story of Packers & Movers actually begins under a different name. Dhanush and Addy met at a gig in 2020, bonding over shared influences. By 2021’s lockdown, they were swapping song ideas remotely; the early attempts were messy, but the chemistry was real. Those bedroom jams soon evolved into a project called Over The Edge, with their friend joining on guitar. Under that moniker, the group released a five-song EP in 2022 that earned local acclaim (even a Rolling Stone India feature) and played their first shows around Bengaluru.
Yet by late 2022, the band felt stuck. ‘We reached a stagnation point,’ Dhanush admits. They had plenty of demos and a bit of buzz, but something wasn’t clicking. Early 2023 proved to be a turning point. Personal upheavals and new inspirations jolted them into restarting their album from scratch, this time with total honesty. ‘There used to be a time we wrote to please people. Eventually, it just became fun to do it for ourselves,’ recalls Addy. Dhanush adds, ‘I was writing for an audience at first. Now I don’t give a damn... If you’re writing music for a larger audience, you’re making a product. We make music for ourselves.’
Emboldened by this shift in philosophy, the band even rebranded. In 2025, as the album neared completion, they officially renamed themselves Packers & Movers, a quirky inside joke turned band name, to mark a fresh start. Many songs on Men and Their Major Chords actually began as Over The Edge demos, now refined with two extra years of growth. The album’s title, a holdover from their early concept, likewise evolved in meaning, a once tongue-in-cheek phrase now representing a sincere reflection on life’s imperfections.
MUSIC FOR ART’S SAKE
Spend a few minutes talking to Packers & Movers and it’s obvious they’re fed up with the gimmicks of the modern music scene. ‘Everyone’s battling it out… people have lost the essence of enjoying art,’ they tell me, critiquing how fast-paced and commercial things have become. The trio bristles at the idea of art as just another product of algorithms or a competition for clout. Instead, they focus on their own craft and authenticity. ‘We want people to listen, give it a try, but if you don’t like it, what can we do? Some people hate Bob Dylan.’
The forthcoming 11-track album is eagerly awaited. Whether it ends up as an underground hit or a cult favourite, Packers & Movers seem content either way. They’ve made the record they wanted to make, on their own terms, and they prove that in 2025, sincerity and passion can still trump social media savvy. For anyone craving music with heart, free of manufactured shine, Men and Their Major Chords might hit the right note.
Words Harita Odedara
Date 29-09-2025