The band .Feast, has come a long way since its unostentatious start as a group of five unfettered college students nine years ago. One full-length studio album and two extended playlists (EPs) later, the quintet has finally earned the right to celebrate not only their maturity as a more seasoned act, but also their shared chemistry.

“I have known these rascals for a decade now,” vocalist Baskara Putra told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

“I can go so far as to say that I'm closer to them than a few members of my actual birth family. I can always tell when they have something on their mind, even without them telling me. And that emotionally translates very well on the stage, as it does in our songs,” said Baskara, who is also known for his solo project Hindia and as a co-vocalist of pop-leaning band Lomba Sihir.

No wonder he heralded the band’s latest EP, Abdi Lara Insani, released on Friday, as its most solid outing yet, “in terms of [our] chemistry [as a band]”.

The eight-track collection finds the quintet not only packaging their characteristic sociopolitical commentary into the album’s character arc, but also refining the rock sound that catapulted the band to mainstream consciousness in the latter half of the 2010s.

Political messiah

Abdi Lara Insani was not the kind of record they could have pulled off as a bunch of novices, the members of .Feast all agreed.

Some of the songs that made the EP, such as ”Kuping Ini Makin Lalai” (These ears are growing dim) and lead single ”Gugatan Rakyat Semesta” (The lawsuit of the universe), took years in the making, though the band members said they had to harness their craft and their skills to be able to produce the final, ideal output.

“We had dreamed of pursuing this kind of sound and maybe this kind of concept, but it took five or six years for us to pull it off,” said bassist Fadli Fikriawan “Awan” Wibowo.

Nothing wrong with taking their time, as .Feast has discovered from experience. When they released their first EP in 2018, they couldn't help but notice how its timing coincided with the Surabaya church bombings that occurred that year: Beberapa Orang Memaafkan (Some people forgive) was noted for tackling the issues of terrorism and radicalization among impressionable Indonesian youths.

The modern crook: For their latest EP, Feast found inspiration in Iwan Fals' classic folk tune 'Bento' and the lionized Javanese prophecy of Jangka Jayabaya. (Courtesy of Sun Eater) (Courtesy of Sun Eater/Courtesy of Sun Eater)

Sometimes it was all about the “gut feeling”, said rhythm guitarist Adnan Satyanugraha Putra. “When the [church bombings] happened, we felt compelled to have something as our response to that,” he recalled.

That “gut feeling” also played a pivotal role during the creation of Abdi Lara Insani, which is set to drop at a time when more millennials seem interested in trying their luck in national politics.

The EP’s narrative introduces a fictional character named Ali, described as a righteous and uncorrupt activist who finds himself in the seat of power and faced with the temptations that come with it. The band was meticulous in establishing Ali's personality and background, not to mention his “true colors”, the dramatic reveal the EP starts teasing with the second track “Bintang Massa Aksi” (Star of mass action).

“I have always had this strong conviction that money and power do not change people, but instead, reveal their ingenious nature,” said Baskara, underlining that no one was “inherently good” when it came to politics.

That said, the antihero of Abdi Lara Insani is not a run-of-the-mill crook.

“Ali is an antagonist by being an egoist,” described lead guitarist Dicky Renanda Putra.

“How so? Ali actually suffers from the trauma of losing the people closest to him, starting with his mother and then, his mentor and [others]. The loss fuels a drive in him, like, 'How can this not happen ever again? By seizing control,’” he explained.

In materializing Ali, .Feast took inspiration from Iwan Fals' 1989 song “Bento” and the prophecy “Jangka Jayabaya”.

Legend has it that “Jangka Jayabaya” was written by King Jayabaya of the Kediri Kingdom and foretells the arrival of an indubitable and mighty commander-in-chief, Ratu Adil, who will usher in the golden age of Nusantara (the archipelago).

The prophecy might have informed the band's creativity, but not necessarily their faith.

Drummer Adrianus Aristo Haryo, also known as “Ryo Bodat”, believed that the foretold messiah was nothing more than “poppycock”, pointing the current administration as proof.

“Even our freedom of speech is [still] being bridled. It's baloney. No matter who the chief is, they will always end up being a [jerk],” he sneered.

Final noise

Baskara said that while Abdi Lara Insani might not offer something listeners might deem “sonically à la mode”, the band deliberately traded up any forward-thinking attempt at genre experimentation for their more assured style.

Awan chimed in, observing how, compared to their previous records, Abdi Lara Insani deftly hit the “bull's eye”.

“Everything was inserted [appropriately]: the rock element, the raucous element, the electronic element and the pop element,” he explained.

“The whole thing felt more balanced than our past [albums]. For Multiverses, you could say we got very explorative,” he said, referring to Feast's debut full-length album released in 2017. “The songs were arguably very ear-splitting with heavy distortions. Then, boom! We got rid of the distortions and the drums, making [it] more pop. But for this one, the proportions are on point.”

Baskara regarded Abdi Lara Insani as the band coming full circle.

“It's like we returned to our roots as .Feast, why we formed a band in the first place and what we had been aiming for [all along]. There was no desire to become 'more',” he gushed.

Another element the band left unchanged was their steadfastness in not even trying to influence public opinion. They simply aimed to hold up a mirror to society and also themselves.

“To quote Nina Simone, ‘An artist's biggest responsibility is to reflect the times.’ The social stuff, the political stuff, the economic stuff, everything that makes up life. If you're here just to entertain, that makes you [merely] an entertainer,” said Baskara.

The quintet has already planned their next move after the politically charged Abdi Lara Insani, which is, ironically, to turn down their usual volume. The band teased that they were thinking of delving into more lightweight territory and depart from using their music as a means of delivering political commentary.

“Now that we're entering our thirties, our youthful rage has dissipated,” Baskara offered, cheekily.

The false messiah: The cover artwork of Feast's latest EP 'Abdi Lara Insani', which is released on Thursday. (Courtesy of Sun Eater) (Courtesy of Sun Eater/Courtesy of Sun Eater)

Track-by-Track Breakdown

“Intro - Berhenti di Kotak Pesan Suara”

(Intro - Stop at the voicemail box)

Abdi Lara Insani opens with a monologue delivered by actor and presenter Vincent Rompies in the role of Ali's father, who shaped the protagonist's psyche. “We composed a deck beforehand: a PDF file consisting of everyone in Ali's life and their background, all down to the smallest detail, including their date of birth, place of birth and such. This also included his father, a mid-level civil servant who had committed corruption,” said Baskara.

“Bintang Massa Aksi”

(Star of mass action)

The up-tempo number chronicles Ali's youth as a passionate student activist, though his virtuousness ultimately raises a question. “There's a thin line between naiveté and hypocrisy. He plays along if others think him naive, but he doesn’t see himself as a hypocrite, either. He just does what he does to accomplish his goals,” said Awan.

“Camkan”

(Keep in mind)

The third track documents Ali's frustration with religious intolerance, an issue that strikes a nerve, as it leads him, despite his shrewdness, to lose his most trusted confidante. “This is one of the more stirring tracks on this EP because when we wrote ‘Camkan’, the background story was that Ali had lost his best friend, who was [also] his mentor,” said Dicky.

“Kuping Ini Makin Lalai” (These ears are growing dim); “Gugatan Rakyat Semesta” (Lawsuit of the universe)

Ali tries to champion his cause via the conventional path, which, unfortunately, leads to more pain and suffering, prompting the young activist to aim for the highest seat of power instead. “In his confusion, he decides to run [for president], thinking that he will be no worse off than where he is now. Otherwise, nothing will change,” explained Ryo Bodat. “That's the crossroad of his destiny.”

“Jaya” (Triumph); “Ali”

Ali becomes the head of state, and his true colors finally emerge. “To put it simply, it's greed. That has been Ali's goal all along: to secure himself in that position,” said Adnan.

“Senin Toko Tutup”

(The store is closing on Monday)

The EP's closer, according to the band, illustrates the “vicious cycle” that repeats itself in the realm of power and politics. Just because the country regards Ali as the foretold messiah, it does not mean he is an actual saint. “The first song [of the EP] is about Ali denouncing people. The final song is about .Feast denouncing Ali,” Baskara concluded.

Abdi Lara Insani by .Feast is available to stream on April 22.