If you ask Into The Unknown what kind of band they are, you might hear a few different answers.
Tamil?
Sometimes.
Malayali?
They have opened for Thaikkudam Bridge.
Bollywood?
Hindi sits in the mix too.
Australian?
The band came together in Melbourne.
The group has eight members from India, Sri Lanka, and Romania. Their backgrounds range from Carnatic and Hindustani music to Sinhala music, Western classical, rock, and pop.
In the end, guitarist Jesh gives the simplest answer.
“We make music that sounds good.”
Fair enough.
View this post on Instagram
Since forming in December 2025, Into The Unknown has opened for Thaikkudam Bridge and Vidya Vox, released their first original Tamil single, Anbin Raagam, and lined up shows with Motta Maadi Music and Naadha Gama.
It has been a busy start, but the band began with a simple idea: compose original music together and see where it would go.
That sense of possibility inspired their name.
“We didn’t know where this would take us,” the members say.
Their sound grew in a similar way. Four vocalists, plus a guitarist, bassist, drummer, and keyboardist, all bring their own style to each rehearsal. One song might mix Carnatic phrasing with rock guitars and cinematic keyboards. Another might lean more toward film music, layered vocals, or Western pop.
There is no fixed formula.
Eight people, and about eight hundred opinions.
If there is one thing Into The Unknown agrees on, it is that they often disagree.
One member still isn’t sure about the band’s name. Guitar solos don’t always survive rehearsal. Vocalists are encouraged to try styles they wouldn’t normally choose. Every new idea brings lots of questions.
“If people don’t disagree, bad ideas don’t get filtered out,” Jesh says.
The band jokes that rehearsals run on “mutual bullying,” and even the manager gets involved. The mood stays light, but everyone is focused on making the song better.
Every rehearsal has the same goal: leave with a better song than they started with.
That process helped Anbin Raagam become their first release.
The band was already working on another track when Avineash arrived at keyboardist Aksh’s place with a melody and a rough outline. They worked on it together before sharing it with the rest of the group.
Usually, a new song leads to several rounds of “yes, but.”
This one clicked quickly.
Avineash handled the composition and lyrics, while each member shaped their own part. The drums changed the energy, the bass came together early, and Jesh tried out several guitar solos before the group found the right one. The lyrics went through a few revisions before ending up close to the first draft.
Anbin Raagam means “the melody of love,” but the song is about more than romance. It explores the bond between an artist and music, and the feeling of being drawn to an idea before knowing where it will lead.
The video features a goddess-like figure who represents music, guiding the band through unfamiliar places.
For Into The Unknown, this image feels right.
Someone brings an idea, the group discusses it, shapes it, and eventually follows it together.
Music after work
Like many new bands in Australia, Into The Unknown usually starts rehearsals with a group chat.
Eight schedules have to line up. One person has work, another has a night shift, someone else has family commitments or a school run. Another member is trying to get across Melbourne after work, hoping traffic is on their side.
Just getting everyone in the same room is a small victory.
Then there are the costs.
Rehearsal spaces, instruments, pickups, sound systems, recording sessions, and music videos all add up well before anyone hears the finished song.
Opening for established acts has helped the band reach bigger audiences. But it has also brought a familiar challenge for local artists: being asked to play for exposure instead of getting paid.
“I don’t want to blame the system,” Jesh says, then laughs. “But I blame the system.”
It’s a joke, but the issue is real.
Live sound is another challenge. A band can rehearse every detail, but the venue mix still decides what the audience hears. Sometimes a guitar drowns out the keyboard, a synth disappears, or a layered arrangement loses its shape. Into The Unknown hopes to travel with their own sound engineer one day. For now, they speak warmly about the engineers who have helped them sound their best, like the team at Sydney’s Liberty Hall and those who support their Melbourne shows.
Keeping culture moving
The band is careful with the traditions they draw from, especially devotional and classical music. For them, respect means understanding the music before changing how it’s arranged. A Carnatic melody might stay the same while rock instruments build around it. A vocalist trained in one style might try pop, jazz, or sing in another language. A Tamil audience might hear something different from the usual concert set. The aim is not to keep culture frozen. It’s to let culture keep evolving. That’s also why Into The Unknown avoids a single label. Tamil, Indian, Sri Lankan, and Australian identities all influence the group, but none of them tells the whole story.
Anbin Raagam is just the beginning. The band is writing more original music, planning bigger shows, and exploring collaborations which connect their heritage with Melbourne. One unreleased track has them considering First Nations instruments, an idea they say would need consultation, care, and respect.
Into The Unknown is still figuring out their full sound.
Usually, that would be a branding problem.
For Into The Unknown, that’s the whole point.
Read Also: The Yellow Diary: An Indian band’s Australian chapter
