“Don’t Want the Phone to Ring” by Ajay Mathur

Ajay Mathur is pleading for some peace in the opening verses of his new single “Don’t Want the Phone to Ring” – currently #16 on the German Apple Music charts – the very nature of his tone summarizing the source of inspiration for everything we’re soon to hear. In “Don’t Want the Phone to Ring,” Mathur doesn’t have any time for the excuses you’d give as to why a few casual moments under the summer sunlight free of any worries in the world don’t fit into your schedule. He’s all about cutting loose and embracing the good times, which is something a lot of us need in 2023. 

Everything in this single is made to embody the carefree vibe of the lyrics, except for one element alone – the guitar parts. Through the heroics of the six-string, we’re provided an exotic accentuation of the vocal that touches on a sense of adventure more than it does a lazy afternoon in a hammock, but to be fair, I think these two themes go together surprisingly well when this player is singing. He knows how to paint us a good-looking picture, and that’s more than evident here. 

The swing of the strings certainly exemplifies the attitude of the songwriter behind their creation, but I don’t think their sole role in this performance is foundational. Even the most subtle of intricacies in this mix is getting some time in the spotlight and making Mathur sound even more proficient as a singer/songwriter than he would have been in any other scenario. His confidence sets up the mood, but his attention to detail is really what seals the deal for me as a critic when listening to “Don’t Want the Phone to Ring.” 

Mathur’s lead vocal is quite prominent in this track no matter what juncture of the song we’re analyzing, but I don’t think this is because of any synthetic boosting in the master mix. Contrarily, I believe it’s quite obvious how organic his singing is in this performance given his command of the arrangement and the relatively supple tones of the instrumentation in general. It’s probably not as good as seeing him live and in person, but until I have the opportunity to do that myself, this is giving me a pretty good idea of what I should expect. 

If there’s anything pop music needs more of this year, it’s young blood untethered to the angst-ridden narratives carried forth by an outgoing generation of stars, and to me, Ajay Mathur fits the bill with his new single “Don’t Want the Phone to Ring.” He’s just the kind of laid-back soul we could use in trying to win back some of the fans soft pop has lost over the past ten years of commercially shaped songcraft the genre has featured on the mainstream level. I’ll be looking out for more of his content in the years to come, and if you’re serious about pop music, you really need to think about doing the same. 

Nicole Killian