JP/Hans David Tampubolon

After having several noteworthy successes with its singles, Bekasi-based pop punk band Radio Bandit is finally ready to take a giant leap in the musical industry by releasing its debut album.

Radio Bandit'€™s debut album, titled Revolusi (Revolution) features eight brand new tracks. The album was directly produced by Radio Bandit and recorded at the Double Deer Studio in Jakarta.

Radio Bandit, however, has not included its hit single '€œMasa Lalu dan Esok yang Cerah'€ (The Past and Brighter Future) in the album. This single, released in 2009, was the song that kicked off the band'€™s career and made it well-known among pop punk music lovers not only in Indonesia but also in Singapore, Brunei Darussalam and Malaysia.

'€œWe want to offer something completely new to our listeners. Hence the name Revolusi for our debut album,'€ Radio Bandit bass player and founder Gilang Haritama said during the launch of the band'€™s debut album in Kemang, South Jakarta, recently.

Radio Bandit vocalist Bondan added that the band had also shifted its musical genre for its debut album.

'€œWe used to play melodic punk music, but we wanted to offer something lighter through pop punk,'€ he said.

'€œWhat we offer in our debut album is completely fresh in both sound and lyrics,'€ he added.

The first single from the album entitled '€œBangkit Indonesia'€ (Wake up Indonesia) is aimed at getting the youth of Indonesia off their couches and physical.

'€œThe song was inspired by our continuous defeat on the international soccer stage. I felt that Indonesia really needed to wake up not only in soccer but in other fields as well,'€ Gilang said.

Another single, '€œJejaring Sosial'€ (Social Network), reflects the band'€™s disgust at the annoying trend to attempt to get attention through social media by continuously sharing personal problems online.

In general, the songs in the first album center mainly on social issues and suffering. In '€œRadioku'€ (My Radio), the lyrics tell the angst of youth who try to produce work through their own means but are often misunderstood by society.

Radio Bandit features a paradox in '€œSunyi, Sepi, Sendiri'€ (Quiet, Lonely, Alone), which features a fast paced tempo in major keys but is filled with desperation in its lyrics that talk about the pain of experiencing broken dreams alone.

The band displays its ability to play a slower tempo in '€œSejuta Bintang'€ (A Million Stars), which also tells the story of chasing dreams through sweeter and lighter lyrics.

Gilang, who founded Radio Bandit in 2006 while in senior high school, said the struggle to release the debut album had been long and grueling.

'€œWe had been trying to produce the album for a long time from when we were still college kids in Bandung [West Java]. But the members could not find enough time to complete the production as we were all occupied with our tasks as students. After we graduated, we could fully focus on making the album,'€ he said.

Sony, the band'€™s original drummer, walked out and was replaced by Rizki. Another founding member, Rahmat, also decided to quit as a vocalist in 2008 and was replaced by Bondan.

'€œBondan was a fan and always came to our gigs. One day he came and said he wanted to be our vocalist and that was that, he got the job,'€ Rizki said.

The band also recruited a keyboardist by the name of Cassandra, but she also left due to personal issues.

Despite the numerous personnel changes and internal rifts, the band managed to play many gigs at various events in its early years, ranging from street gigs to cafes and high school festivals.

'€œWe grew up. We became adults in that we began to take our career in music more seriously,'€ Gilang said.

Gilang said that initially the band was heavily influenced by Jakarta-based pop punk band Pee Wee Gaskins, but after a while the members began expanding their musical knowledge, particularly in punk.

'€œWe began listening to Blink 182, 30 Seconds to Mars and Foo Fighters. Their influence really helped us develop as a band and as musicians,'€ Gilang said.

Radio Bandit began developing its own musical characteristics based on the influences and the knowledge they had learned.

The band is particularly known in the punk music scene for its strong guitar riffing and emotion in its lyrics. Slowly but surely, Radio Bandit has begun developing a solid fan base in Indonesia and abroad.

'€œWe used to share our songs for free,'€ Bondan said.

'€œBut then we realized that our fans might need something more practical to listen to our songs. What could be easier for them to access our songs than through our album?'€

After the realization, Radio Bandit members become more serious in managing their careers and finally decided to appoint a manager.

'€œAlhamdullilah, we were able to appoint a manager who can lead us and tell us what to do for our careers and to arrange everything we need to grow as a band,'€ Bondan said.

For the future, Bondan said he hoped that Radio Bandit'€™s debut album would be warmly welcomed by fans and those newly introduced to the band.

'€œWe have only produced about 1,000 albums. If sales are good, hopefully we can produce and distribute even more,'€ he said.