Irayatharo by Sithara Krishnakumar

Irayatharo arrived from the Irayatharo album and quickly became one of the most replayed tracks of 2020. The music, composed by Sithara Krishnakumar, Shefeek Rahman, carries the song forward with a confidence that matches the performance.

Sithara Krishnakumar's vocal here has a quality that is difficult to describe but impossible to miss — it simply feels true. Hearing Irayatharo without thinking of a talented ensemble cast is almost impossible for anyone who has seen Irayatharo.

When it came out in 2020, Irayatharo felt timely. Years later, it feels timeless. The emotional register of Irayatharo is wide enough to fit celebration and solitude equally well.

The concision of Irayatharo — just 4:08 — is part of what makes it work. There is nothing here that should not be. It is, simply, one of the better songs to come from Malayalam in recent memory — and the numbers agree.