When Was Peter Cat Recording Co Founded?
Peter Cat Recording Co was founded in 2009 by Suryakant Sawhney in Delhi, India. The project began as a solo endeavor following Sawhney’s spiritual experience in San Francisco in 2008. By 2010, it evolved into a full five-member band, which explains why some sources cite 2010 as the formation year.
The San Francisco Catalyst (2008-2009)
The story of Peter Cat Recording Co starts not in Delhi, but in San Francisco. In 2008, vocalist and guitarist Suryakant Sawhney experienced what he describes as a spiritual awakening while studying film in California. This moment convinced him to pursue music seriously rather than continue on his planned career path.
During this period, Sawhney began writing material that would eventually appear on the band’s debut album. He connected with Jeremy Cox of Royal Baths at a house party, who helped record and produce the project’s first demos. These early recordings laid the foundation for what would become Peter Cat Recording Co’s distinctive sound—a genre-defying blend that would later incorporate gypsy jazz, cabaret, indie pop, and psychedelic rock.
By early 2010, financial pressures forced Sawhney to return to India, specifically to Gurgaon. He brought with him an album’s worth of songs and determination to see the project through. The official founding in 2009 marked the birth of the Peter Cat Recording Co name and concept, even though the full band lineup wouldn’t materialize until after Sawhney’s return to India.
Building the Full Band (2010)
Once back in Gurgaon, Sawhney spent months learning music production and recording techniques. His solo project transformed into a quintet when local musicians began joining. Drummer Karan Singh, previously with metal band Lycanthropia, became a core member. Bassist Rohan Kulshreshtha and guitarist Anindya Shankar completed the initial five-piece lineup.
This expansion in 2010 is why many venue listings and music platforms cite that year as the band’s formation date. Technically, both 2009 and 2010 are accurate—2009 represents the project’s founding as a solo endeavor, while 2010 marks when Peter Cat Recording Co became a proper band with its first complete lineup.
During this transitional period, session drummer Caleb Prabhakar stepped in to track drums for several songs when the band temporarily lacked a permanent drummer. By New Year’s Eve 2010, the group had recorded their debut album in its entirety, with mastering completed within a single day.
Debut and Early Evolution (2011-2015)
Peter Cat Recording Co released Sinema on January 1, 2011, at a house party in Delhi through their website and Bandcamp. The album initially carried an unusual $2,000 price tag for digital download—a statement about valuing art—before being reduced to $10. The record’s heady mix of jazz, cabaret, and pop immediately distinguished the band in India’s indie scene.
Sinema proved successful enough to launch a promotional tour across Indian cities including Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Goa, and Chandigarh. Rohan Kulshreshtha served as the de facto band manager and booking agent during this period, demonstrating the DIY ethos that would characterize the band’s early years.
Exactly one year later, on January 1, 2012, Peter Cat released Wall of Want, a collection of raw demos and experimental recordings. Shortly after, Anindya Shankar departed, and guitarist Kartik Sundareshan Pillai joined as his replacement. Unknown to the band at the time, Pillai had actually mixed music at their Sinema album launch.
In a bold move, Singh and Pillai relocated to a rooftop at building 87a in Hauz Khas Village, Delhi, where they hosted a series of secret house party concerts. These guerrilla shows continued until police intervention forced them to shut down. During this period, around 2014, Pillai began incorporating trumpet into the band’s sound—an addition that would become integral to their identity.
Five years after Sinema, the band released Climax in 2015, which they described as the debut album’s spiritual successor. Self-produced music videos for tracks like “I’m Home” and “Copulations” showcased their commitment to maintaining creative control. A subsequent tour across India ended dramatically when Sawhney crashed a car en route from Kerala to Bangalore, forcing the band to complete the tour via trains and flights.
International Breakthrough (2016-2019)
The year 2016 saw Peter Cat Recording Co experiment with Transmissions, a project that required writing, recording, and producing one new song every week for two months. This intensive creative exercise pushed the band’s boundaries and refined their production skills.
By summer 2018, French boutique label Panache contacted the band about releasing a vinyl compilation. However, internal tensions had been building. After seven years with the group, Rohan Kulshreshtha left due to disagreements about the band’s direction. On Pillai’s recommendation, two new members joined: bassist Dhruv Bhola and keyboardist/trumpeter Rohit Gupta.
This lineup change marked a complete reinvention. Portrait of a Time: 2010-2016 dropped on March 1, 2018, serving as both a retrospective and a fresh start. The band recorded much of their next album, Bismillah, at Stefan Kaye’s farmhouse in Sainik Farms, Delhi, with additional sessions at Robin le Duc’s Spectral Studios in Paris.
Released on June 7, 2019, Bismillah represented the band’s most mature work to date. The album drew inspiration from Sawhney’s wedding, with the cover featuring his father. Songs like “Floated By” accumulated nearly a million YouTube views, introducing Peter Cat Recording Co to a global audience. Tours across India, Europe, and Australasia followed, establishing them as one of India’s premier alternative acts.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, homebound listeners worldwide discovered Bismillah, dramatically expanding the band’s international fanbase. Their Spotify monthly listeners grew substantially—currently sitting at 414,600—as audiences in North America and Europe connected with their unique sound.
Current Era and Recent Triumphs (2020-2024)
After relocating from Delhi to North Goa, Peter Cat Recording Co spent several years crafting their next album. The band announced BETA (बेटा) on May 9, 2024, with a release date of August 9, 2024, via Muddy Water Records. The title, meaning “child” in Hindi, was chosen through an endearing method: the band wrote five potential titles, placed them in a hat, and let drummer Karan Singh’s six-month-old son pick.
Sawhney described BETA as “a collection of stories about the future told 50 years in the past, to make sense of the present, on our only home, planet Earth.” Recorded across three continents, the album features vocal contributions from multiple members—Sawhney, Dhruv Bhola, and Kartik Pillai—marking a more collaborative approach. The music blends indie, bossa nova, jazz, and psychedelic influences into what may be their most ambitious work.
The album’s release coincided with the “Good Luck BETA ’24” tour—77 shows spanning North America, India, and Europe. This represents one of the largest international tours ever undertaken by an Indian rock band. The tour included opening slots for Texas trio Khruangbin on their A La Sala tour, performances at California’s Ohana Festival alongside Pearl Jam and Alanis Morissette, and headline dates at prestigious venues like New York’s Irving Plaza and Brooklyn Steel, London’s O2 Shepherds Bush Empire, and Paris’s Bataclan.
The first single, “People Never Change,” dropped on May 16, 2024, followed by tracks like “Suddenly” and “Foolmuse” that quickly became fan favorites on streaming platforms. The tour’s success—with many dates selling out—demonstrated the band’s evolution from Delhi house parties to international stages.
Musical Identity and Evolution
Peter Cat Recording Co has consistently defied genre categorization. Their sound incorporates elements of gypsy jazz, ballroom music, cabaret, indie pop, bossa nova, psychedelic rock, and space disco. This eclectic approach stems from the members’ diverse influences and willingness to experiment.
Sawhney’s vocal style draws heavily from crooner music of the 1950s and 60s. He’s discussed his attraction to the emotional delivery and “masculine” vocal presence of singers like Dean Martin, while subverting the conservative lyrical constraints of that era. This creates a unique tension—vintage vocal styling delivering contemporary, sometimes provocative lyrics.
The band’s visual aesthetic matches their sonic experimentation. Sawhney’s film school background influences their music videos, which feature retro cinematography and carefully curated visual identities. From the beginning, they’ve produced videos in-house, maintaining complete creative control.
Each album serves as what the band calls “a temporal snapshot,” capturing their personal evolution. This philosophy means every release sounds distinctly different from its predecessor, as the members incorporate new life experiences, instruments, and influences. The 2017 lineup change particularly transformed their sound, with Gupta and Bhola bringing fresh perspectives and expanded instrumentation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do some sources say Peter Cat Recording Co formed in 2010?
The confusion stems from the distinction between the project’s founding and the full band’s formation. Suryakant Sawhney founded Peter Cat Recording Co as a solo project in 2009 while in San Francisco and India. In 2010, after returning to Gurgaon, he assembled the complete five-member band. Many venues and promotional materials cite 2010 because that’s when Peter Cat became a performing band with multiple members, rather than Sawhney’s solo endeavor.
How many original members are still in the band?
Of the current five-member lineup, two are founding members from 2010: Suryakant Sawhney (vocals, guitar) and Karan Singh (drums). Kartik Sundareshan Pillai joined in 2012 as a replacement member. The newest members, Dhruv Bhola (bass) and Rohit Gupta (keys, trumpet), joined in 2017 when the band underwent a significant reinvention.
What does Peter Cat Recording Co mean?
The name originates from a restaurant in Calcutta (Kolkata) called Peter Cat, which Sawhney stumbled into after purchasing marijuana in a meat market—an experience that left a strong impression. Years later, he discovered that Japanese author Haruki Murakami had opened a jazz club in the 1970s called Peter Cat, which he found reaffirming. “Recording Co.” was added because Sawhney liked the idea of approaching the project as entrepreneurs building a business rather than just “a band.”
How successful is Peter Cat Recording Co internationally?
Peter Cat Recording Co has achieved significant international success, particularly since 2019. They currently have over 414,600 monthly listeners on Spotify. Their 2024 “Good Luck BETA” tour included 77 shows across three continents, with sold-out performances in major cities including New York (three nights), Los Angeles, London, and Paris. They’ve supported acts like Khruangbin and performed at major festivals alongside Pearl Jam and Alanis Morissette, making them one of India’s most successful indie rock exports.
Peter Cat Recording Co’s journey from a solo project born in 2009 to a globally touring five-piece demonstrates persistence, artistic integrity, and constant evolution. The band that Sawhney founded after his San Francisco awakening has become one of India’s most distinctive musical voices, challenging genre boundaries and bringing their unique sound to audiences worldwide. With nearly 415,000 monthly Spotify listeners and a successful 77-date international tour, the band that started with house parties in Delhi now commands stages from New York to Paris to Bangalore.
Sources:
- Wikipedia: Peter Cat Recording Co.
- Variety: Multiple articles (2023-2024)
- Rolling Stone India: Tour announcements and album coverage
- NME: Band profiles and album reviews
- Last.fm: Band biography and timeline
- Pollstar: Tour date announcements
- Official band website: pcrc.in