Sirati Dharmaâs new album, 7, is another promising local debut which sound references 90s alternative rock
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On their debut release, Jakarta-based rock band Sirati Dharma showcases a welcome mix of modern rock elements, from shoegaze to power pop, ultimately sounding like a throwback version of mid-1990s British alternative rock acts.
With their balance of catchyness and agressiveness, 7 showcases an emphasis on fuzzed-out guitar histrionics and stoic-yet-melodically delivered faux-British vocals that should do well in a live setting.
The band's choice of featuring only six tracks (plus two bonus songs) on the album is a smart move, as Sirati Dharma's particular sound is best enjoyed in limited doses, at least for now.
Opening with 'Tonight', 7 puts its best foot forward. Looping guitars immediately make way for a grungy-chorus, reverb-drenched vocals and simple-yet-propulsive drumming. The verse-chorus-solo structure keeps things straightforward and immediate. There is an almost Nirvana-goes-shoegazing feel to the whole affair, though Sirati Dharma's sense of delivery is more unabashedly outward, sounding at times almost like an arena rock act with dramatic vocals and head-bop-ready beats.
The fast paced crunch of 'Crystal Shelter' serves up a dose of industrial rock via grunge that never waivers, remaining on the attack for its entire four-minute-plus duration.
It is the records hardest track and it works wonderfully as a bridge to the title track, an obvious stand out in a record full of face-punchers.
Fuzzy bass-line meets ultra-distorted guitar amid a wall of processed drumming and desperate vocals ('Voices telling you to leave/ I am not alone tonight/ I am not alone, inside' announce the respectfully grungy lyrics).
The minimalist chord changes of 'Underpressure Lover' gives it a blues-tinged deathrock grind familiar to American bands such as Black Rebel Motorcycle Club or Monster Magnet, with a touch of stoner rock- classic rock obsessiveness. That the song evolves into a noisy crescendo is a pleasant surprise. In fact, many of the songs on 7 end in the same dirt-ridden manner.
The power-pop of 'The End' is another stand out. Sounding almost like an early Weezer track, the song is the record's most immediately memorable moment, with crystal-clear verse and choruses as well as the band's characteristically-melodic guitar leads. 'And now, you're gone/ We all will die in the end' cry the optimistic and hopefully humorous lyrics.
The record's two bonus tracks come in the form of an acoustic version of 'Waves' (also on the album), which does not really add much, though presents a sound that is at the least different to its preceding 6 tracks. An older track, 'Amorphous (re-edit version)' is also here, and showcases the band's noisier spectrum, again providing a nice variation within the album.
It's certainly not fair to judge a band on the strength of a 7-song album, but Sirati Dharma makes a good case for being a band that is crowd-ready.
Their songs, though in English, engage with the populist sentiment of teen angst and dripping with sonically rebellious elements that makes for an immediately-satisfying listen for underground rock fans.
Whether they meant to or not, with 7, Sirati Dharma has made an album for the crowd-surfing moshpit, and did it on a hip-label (Leeds) with just-the-right-amount-of-dirtiness in its production.
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