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Rock band Aftertones explore growing pains in 'Adulting is Hard'
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Fearing the future: Aftertones’ new studio album ‘Adulting Is Hard’ explores the pain of growing into adulthood and the passage of time, as well as regret, emotional immaturity and impending responsibilities. (Courtesy of Aftertones) (Archive/Courtesy of Aftertones)
T
he twentysomething members of the Bandung-based rock outfit make their case for Adulting Is Hard as the ultimate album that goes against the “Happy New Year” grain.
People generally welcome a new year as the start of a bright and promising future. Rock band Aftertones, however, has not.
The Bandung-based septet’s skepticism is apparent throughout their latest studio album Adulting Is Hard, which dropped on Dec. 9 on all streaming platforms.
The band’s cry of despair is perhaps at its most particular on the fifth track, “Not So Lucky”, on which front man and vocalist Ilham Ashari croons over lazy beats: “I’m not ready for future / Feeling so happy, but I have no ability.”
Ilham spoke to The Jakarta Post on Jan. 14, explained Aftertones’ contempt for the future and, more poignantly, why it was OK not to feel optimistic about the days ahead.
“Here’s the thing: When we hear the words ‘future’ and ‘growing up’, there are certainly many things we feel worried about. One of them is how to be financially independent. Not everybody is in the same boat, some are still unemployed and some have jobs that lack certainty. So, like, ‘What if things continued like this?’” said Ilham.
“And then there’s that classic Indonesian question: ‘When will you settle down?’” he said with a giggle.
