Ethra Naalaay by Madhu Balakrishnan

The Ethra Naalaay album has several strong tracks, but Ethra Naalaay is the one most listeners come back to first. Credit goes to K.M. Udayan for a score that understands exactly what the song needs and nothing more.

The performance by Madhu Balakrishnan is the centrepiece here — controlled where it needs to be, open where it counts. a talented ensemble cast are at the heart of Ethra Naalaay, and Ethra Naalaay captures their dynamic at its most compelling.

2020 marked the release of Ethra Naalaay, and Ethra Naalaay was the track that ensured the album would be remembered. There is no right time to listen to Ethra Naalaay. There is only the moment you press play and realise it was the right choice.

In 4:58 minutes, Ethra Naalaay builds, opens up, and resolves in a way that feels complete rather than truncated. It is, at the end of it, a very good song — and sometimes that is the only explanation that matters.