When the members of the indie-pop band Koyal—vocalist Pooja Prabakaran, guitarist Noah Weinstein, and drummer Wallace—met in a basement at Georgia Tech, they weren't just solving engineering problems; they were architecting a new sound. Named after the Asian songbird that symbolizes constancy, the band has transitioned from college jam sessions to a high-stakes move to Los Angeles to pursue music full-time. Their latest album, Breathe In and Breathe Out, released in February 2025, serves as a sonic bridge between their technical backgrounds and their artistic aspirations.

A central pillar of the conversation is the struggle to maintain creative energy while navigating demanding "nine-to-five" careers. Pooja reflects on writing the track "Half Alive" during her first year as a computer engineer, noting it captured a moment where her heart was in music but her time was owned by a cubicle. She describes the song as a "darker feel" that ultimately motivated the trio to take the professional leap together.

The move to California hasn't been without its trials. The band recounts narrowly escaping the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires, an experience that reinforced their commitment to their new home and the resilience of the local creative scene. Despite pieces of ash falling on their car as they fled toward San Francisco, the band found beauty in how the music community "really stood up for each other" in the aftermath.

Koyal is already looking forward with a remix project featuring collaborators from the U.S. and France. They are reimagining their guitar-driven tracks through the lens of electronic and dance music, working with producers like Sun Kin and Eli Tracks. Noah describes this phase as an exploration of his "creative and technical limits," shifting from a place of self-judgment to one of pure curiosity about what he can achieve with his craft.