What 'Radio Song" Tastes Like

Arpana Gvalani
Dec 1, 2025
3 min read

Updated: Dec 3, 2025

R.E.M. — Radio Song

Cheese Sandwich French Toast

(Track 2 of the “What A Song Tastes Like” series)

Sunshine, Vinyl, and Familiar Days

Some songs just feel good. Radio Song is one of them. It has that easy, sunny, slightly cheeky energy that reminds me of simple days at Gostana — music playing, people dropping in, dogs wandering around, and nothing too serious happening.

It also reminds me a lot of the 90s. Movies like Singles, the Seattle scene, relaxed vibes, people showing up with guitars… that whole feeling.

This track fits right into that world.

The Vinyl Years

Before everyone had playlists on their phones, vinyl was still a thing people loved. And because of that, we started BYOV — Bring Your Own Vinyl at Gostana in 2013.

The idea came from my dear friend Suvajeet —I call him Suva Suva —who was my co-host for those nights and also made the posters. Those posters eventually ended up in the newspapers too.

People would walk in with their records, play a few songs, listen to someone else’s music, talk, argue, laugh. We kept it simple — a turntable, some speakers, good food, and people who loved music.

Gostana wasn’t just my café. It ran on community, friends, and my dogs. Apple and Chickoo were the first two hosts. Later Zizou took over and did a great job too.

It was a home more than a business.

When Sofar Started in Mumbai

Long before Sofar Sounds became big here, the first Sofar gig in Mumbai happened in my house. This was in October 2012. It was raining. Packed house. People sat wherever they found space — sofa, floor, anywhere.

Nikhil D’Souza performed that night and kept coughing between songs. Someone quickly made tea for him in the kitchen. Very typical of the indie scene back then — simple and caring.

I co-hosted the gig with Shibani. Suva Suva was behind one camera. My friend Saumitra (Saumi) — lead singer of Cusp — handled another camera. My brother Anit, who was also the drummer for Cusp, helped with the sound.

It was not fancy.But it was real, warm, and unforgettable.

Saumi also hosted singer-songwriter nights at Gostana later on, and that added even more life to the place.

Why This Song Fits That Time

When I hear Radio Song, I think of:

sunlight coming into Gostana
records stacked near the counter
people planning gigs
someone tuning a guitar
the dogs walking from table to table
friends dropping by randomly
no pressure, no rush

It’s a simple, happy song.And it belongs to simple, happy food.

What This Song Tastes Like

Cheese Sandwich French Toast.

That’s it.Nothing complicated.Nothing fancy.

Just something warm and comforting that you can make in ten minutes — the kind of snack someone would eat before a gig or on a lazy afternoon with music playing in the background.