Sometimes there is no better muse than political history. Such is the wisdom that the Yogyakarta-based indie-pop-band Nona Sepatu Kaca embraced and celebrated when it came up with its latest song "Rukmini": a ballad that touches on a real-life romance that took place in what is arguably one of the bloodiest periods in the Indonesian political saga -- an attempted coup d'état by the Communist Party of Indonesia in September 1965.

However, at least according to the band, the past does not have to be all about chaos and tragedy.

Twenty-9-year-old Agung "Gabrez" Darmawan, who serves as the band's guitarist, summed it up neatly: "Here's how I think: 'Okay, this is history, therefore we can see it as a lesson. However, as musicians, we have to showcase what was good about the story.' It's not just about us telling people how tragic the story was."

When all is said and done, "Rukmini" was not only the band's attempt at shedding a different kind of light on a gloomy past, but also a demonstration of how to freshen up a music genre that has been steeped in countless love stories -- that is, by telling the story from the more innovative point-of-view. Nona Sepatu Kaca had a virtual sit-down with The Jakarta Post on July 11 to discuss its recent musical experimentation.

Broken vow

It was a couple of years ago when Gabrez first discovered the love story of Pierre Tendean and Rukmini Chaimin. His inquisitiveness over the late lieutenant took flight when he finally got to watch the controversial 2012 feature film The Act of Killing: a documentary that explores the Indonesian Communist Purge that was instigated by the 30 September Movement back in 1965.

After Gabrez watched the film, he felt compelled to find out more about the victims of the 30 September Movement, particularly Pierre Tendean, who was only 26 years old at the time of his murder. 

His research led to a more fascinating trivia about the late lieutenant -- Pierre Tendean was a son of an indigenous Minahasan doctor and a Dutch-born French mother.

"He was a person of mixed race and he was handsome, so why did he decide to join the army? He could have been an entertainer at the time or something, so why enlist in the military instead?" Gabrez remarked.

Gabrez's curiosity also led to the late-lieutenant's lover: a young Javanese maiden named Rukmini Chaimin. The two first met when Pierre Tendean was stationed in Medan in 1963. After he finished his deployment, the couple decided to maintain a long-distance relationship which led to an engagement two years later.

In April 1965, Pierre Tendean was promoted to first lieutenant and served as a personal aide to the then-general of the Army, Abdul Haris Nasution. Five months later, Pierre Tendean was fatally caught in an attempted coup d'état by the Communist Party of Indonesia. He was supposed to be married to Rukmini Chaimin in November.

Fascinated by the star-crossed lovers' tragic romance, Gabrez decided to pitch it as an idea for a song for his band, Nona Sepatu Kaca. That said, doubt and hesitation were initially in the air. In January this year, the band tried to incorporate the country's history as the genesis of a song: "Sajak & Retorika" (Poem and Rhetoric), a soft-rock ballad that was inspired by the life of the Chinese-Indonesian activist, Soe Hok Gie.

Seven months after its release, "Sajak & Retorika" ended up becoming, in Gabrez's words, a "failure". The ballad has not even cracked 1,000 plays on the digital-streaming-platform Spotify.

"Most people had responded to the song by saying, 'You failed at telling the story of Soe Hok Gie with this song'," Gabrez said with a sigh.

Nonetheless, after careful consideration, the band decided to give history a second try -- this time, Gabrez refused to repeat the same misstep. He was eventually convinced that it would be more interesting if the love story was told not from the perspective of Pierre Tendean, but instead, from the perspective of Rukmini Chaimin.

What if?

Released digitally on July 1, "Rukmini" is a guitar-driven indie-pop and soft-pop ballad that explores romantic grief and what-ifs. 

As the band's vocalist, Az Zahra "Biya" Salsabilla assumes the role of Rukmini Chaimin as she ponders what their relationship would have been like if Pierre Tendean had not died young: "Seperti apa nanti / Bila suatu hari / Kita diberi buah hati / Pastikan tampan dan menggemaskan / Seperti Tuan di kala dulu" (What would it have been like? / If one day / We had been blessed with children? / They would have been cute and handsome / Just like you, once upon a time).

The ballad ends with Rukmini finally accepting her fiancé's death and moving on with her life: "Walau akhirnya Tuan tak pernah datang / Kita tak pernah sampai ke tujuan / Sampai berjumpa aku doakan / Semoga Tuan tak kurang suatu apa" (In the end you never showed up / We never made it home / I pray we see each other again / I hope you miss nothing).

The 21-year-old vocalist divulged that, on a personal level, she could relate to what Rukmini might have emotionally gone through after experiencing such a sudden loss. Said Biya: "I don't know what was inside Rukmini's heart, but one thing for sure: I understand a woman's vulnerability."

She continued, "Wouldn't it be so painful when your dreams were dashed? If I were Rukmini, I would have been, like, 'Dear God, my lover has gone from this world! On whom can I rely to realize all my dreams now?' For me, this is really deep stuff."

While Biya concurred that she had no issues channeling Rukmini's state of mind, the most daunting challenge in recording the song was how to make sure that, unlike what happened with "Sajak & Retorika", their brand-new song manages to deliver the intended message home.

"Because this song is so deep, it would be a shame if the song's message didn't come across or if people simply thought that this was just another sad song to sing along with," opined Biya.

Another challenge in recording "Rukmini" was how to make sure that, despite the historical muse that became the song's inspiration, the ballad remains romantic and not necessarily political. Serving as the band's bassist, Sabilis "Billy" Silmi A.S. explained that the band decided to focus on what would work best for the common ears instead.

"We focused on how listeners would easily embrace the song so that they wouldn't think too much about it. This song is obviously about a story of romance," asserted the 25-year-old bassist.

As the songwriter, Gabrez bashfully added that he "didn't dare" to slip a political commentary into the song. It was also a deliberate move not to use an actual portrait of Rukmini Chaimin as the song's artwork.

"We are still relatively new [in the music industry], and I don't want to start with controversy, you know? I got really scared!" Gabrez quipped with a laugh. "Even when we were discussing artwork and stuff, it was, like, 'Will this cause grievance?'"

'Fantasy pop'

Closing the interview, Nona Sepatu Kaca confirmed that "Rukmini" served as a lead single of the band's upcoming-debut full-length album. Gabrez teased that, true to the band's stage moniker, there will be more songs that were inspired by the band's very own fantasies instead. 

"We're actually exploring something I would like to call 'fantasy pop'," he briefed.

Biya added, "I hope everyone gets to have a taste of a fresh nuance that is perhaps seldom to be found in other bands or musicians."

Do they hope their debut album serves as the band's breakout moment to a wider audience beyond its hometown?

"Amen!" exclaimed Billy on behalf of Nona Sepatu Kaca.

Nona Sepatu Kaca's "Rukmini" is available to stream.

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