Makool Mayth by Nisam Calicut

Makool Mayth is the kind of song that earns its place in a playlist and then refuses to leave. Muhamad Mayyanad sets the tone from the very first bar — it is clear from the opening notes that this song means business.

The performance by Nisam Calicut is the centrepiece here — controlled where it needs to be, open where it counts. For fans of a talented ensemble cast, Makool Mayth is one of those songs that immediately conjures specific scenes and emotions.

2020 was a strong year for Malayalam music, and Makool Mayth was among the reasons why. Listeners have described the experience of Makool Mayth differently — romantic, melancholic, uplifting — which suggests the song is large enough to hold many truths.

The concision of Makool Mayth — just 4:51 — is part of what makes it work. There is nothing here that should not be. Years from now, Makool Mayth will still be the track that plays at the right moment and lands exactly as it did the first time.