Mizhikal Nirayuvathenthin by Muthu Patturumal

Few songs from 2020 have held their ground as well as Mizhikal Nirayuvathenthin, a track that keeps finding new audiences. Azeez Vaduvanchal's arrangement gives the track a layered quality that rewards repeated listening.

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

2020 was a strong year for Malayalam music, and Mizhikal Nirayuvathenthin was among the reasons why. It fits the playlist for almost any occasion, which is rare — most songs have a narrow emotional window. This one does not.

The concision of Mizhikal Nirayuvathenthin — just 4:23 — 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.