The Calculus
The Calculus, the moniker of songwriter Vivek Jayaram, today has shared his infectious new single “Shake The Crown,” taken from his forthcoming album Guides, due out November 18th. The upcoming record brings together ’90s indie rock, power pop, and alternative rock for a vibrant, nostalgic sound.
Jayaram explains:
“I remember writing ‘Shake the Crown’ while watching the Los Angeles wildfires unfold. Like so many people, I felt helpless. What struck me wasn’t just the devastation itself, but how quickly the conversation became about politics and blame instead of simply helping people who had lost everything. That became the starting point for the song, but it quickly grew into something much bigger. It’s really about what happens when power stops feeling accountable and we begin accepting things that would have once felt unimaginable. The title isn’t about any one person or institution. It’s about questioning authority wherever it exists and remembering that power only lasts as long as people are willing to accept it.
“More than any other song on the album, ‘Shake the Crown’ is driven by urgency. I wanted it to feel less like a political statement than a reminder that democracy isn’t self-executing. It depends on ordinary people speaking up, paying attention, and refusing to surrender their agency. Sonically, it was the first song producer Jonathan Nunez and I worked together on, and I think that shows. I first met Jonathan through his production work with Las Nubes. I loved how he got the guitars to sound so big on their records, and I think he went for it on this track with the guitar sound. I wanted the recording to have the urgency and spirit of Neil Young doing ‘Rockin in the Free World’ at the MTV Music Awards with Pearl Jam on MTV!”
The Calculus is the musical project of songwriter Vivek Jayaram. After spending years playing in bands before careers, family, and life intervened, Jayaram returned to songwriting after getting sober in 2015. What began as picking up a guitar again gradually became a body of work exploring recovery, love, work, cities, politics, and the people and experiences that shape who we become.
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