KulfiGirls celebrating new deluxe album with mini tour
‘Divinity (Deluxe Edition)’ from KulfiGirls is a double album that features cinematic interludes, new mixing, acoustic takes on the original songs, and an entirely new track.
Kulfi Girls | photo by Paige Walter for WXPN
Philly’s Carnatic rock outfit KulfiGirls dropped their first album Divinity in February 2025. Online audiences got to know the band better after their Key Studio Session here at WXPN was shared broadly by NPR Music. Now, the band is celebrating another release, a deluxe version of their debut record, and is heading out on a small run of gigs to do so.
KulfiGirls are playing an album release show for Divinity (Deluxe Edition) right here in Philly at Warehouse on Watts Friday night with Eraser, Farewell Days, and Máty Rodriguez, then heading to Baltimore, Kingston, New York, and Brooklyn.
The band is thrilled to be embarking on the mini tour, seeing as its their first.
On this small run of dates, KulfiGirls have added to their stage show by including jungle and ambient breakbeat interludes to transition from song to song.
”We have a lot of moving parts,” vocalist and Saraswati veena player Abi Natesh said. “We’re a little too extra sometimes.”
For those who haven’t seen their Key Studio Session or been to a live gig, Abi Natesh stands to sing, but has to sit to play the Saraswati veena, a traditional South Indian instrument commonly used in Hindu religious settings that she features in many KulfiGirls songs. Joan Natesh and bassist/flutist Steph Bruning will also switch instruments during live performances.
“It causes a lot of dead air,” Abi Natesh said. The interludes, which will be triggered by drummer Ade Ogunleye, not only keep the vibes flowing but also offer the band a bit of a break during their set. “This gives us so much more breathing room between songs to relax, tune our instruments, drink some water, and keep that energy going.”
Divinity (Deluxe Edition) features a freshly mixed track list courtesy of guitarist Joan Natesh; those same fans will hear live by artist CosineVi; reimagined nods to the band’s origins as a bedroom passion project, featuring professional versions of early demos like “Itch” and “Araro;” and a new song titled “Twist.”
Fans at the shows won’t be hearing the acoustic versions of the songs, so find Divinity (Deluxe Edition) on streaming services or scoop up a vinyl pressing to dig into it.
Part of the joy of recording the new versions for the deluxe edition was doing things on the fly.
”We had a lot of fun recording that deluxe side,” Abi Natesh said. For example, the new version of “Ugly” features a harmonica solo came about simply because Bruning had one on hand. And, Abi Natesh said she added a veena solo to “Ugly” where she would have never thought to incorporate one.
The band also developed new relationships with some of the songs, namely ”Red Light.”
“[Red Light] was a really happy song on the studio version,” Abi Natesh said. But in revisiting it, the song underwent a metamorphosis after a loss. “I recorded it a few weeks after one of our older cats passed away, so it became a little love song to her. It’s hard to listen to now, but I’m really proud of the way it turned out. It sounds very melancholy.”
Another song that underwent a change was “Itch,” which Abi Natesh described as angry and desperate. The new version, she said, is more reserved.
And reserved isn’t a common word in the KulfiGirls lexicon. The band is rooted in championing the experiences of queer brown people, which is not something that’s necessarily widely accepted in Indian culture, Abi Natesh said.
“ I feel like I have kind of a responsibility,” she said of representing queer folks and people of color. While the band’s songs aren’t written for anyone but themselves, their music has created a community of others who feel seen by the band.
“ I’m not writing to appease anyone, because if I did, then I would write really nice music that my mom would approve of,” Abi Natesh said.
Nice or not, the music and ethos behind KulfiGirls has resonated with thousand of fans, including some in India.
”I got a really heartfelt message the other day actually, and it was it made me tear up,” Abi Natesh said. “They basically said, ‘I’m a Tamil queer girl living in Tamil Nadu, and you can probably guess it ain’t easy. I mean, I’ve never come out to anyone, and I don’t think I ever will. One of my friends kind of knows that, but I haven’t really fully told her either. What I want to say is that your music is beautiful, and you made me feel less alone today.'”
Divinity (Deluxe Edition) is available digitally and on a vinyl double LP via DCxPC Live.