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Barasuara sets to release ‘Thoughts and Journeys’
After almost four years of waiting, fans of Barasuara will be able to get their hands on the pop-rock band's second studio album, Pikiran dan Perjalanan (Thoughts and Journeys), on March 8.
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After almost four years of waiting, fans of Barasuara will be able to get their hands on the pop-rock band's second studio album, Pikiran dan Perjalanan (Thoughts and Journeys), on March 8. (Courtesy of Barasuara/-)
P
op-rock band Barasuara has announced the release date of its upcoming second studio album, Pikiran dan Perjalanan (Thoughts and Journeys).
Barasuara fans will be able to get their hands on the long-awaited album on March 8 – almost four years after the band’s first album. In the meantime, pre-orders will begin on Feb. 27 through the band’s website, www.barasuara.com.
Until the album finally drops, Barasuara will release snippets of each song featured on the album on the band’s Instagram, Twitter and Facebook pages over the next few days.
Founded in 2012, the six-member band is composed of highly experienced musicians in their own right – Iga Massardi as the vocalist and guitarist, Gerald Situmorang on the bass, TJ Kusuma as the guitarist, Marco Steffiano on drums along with vocalists Asteriska and Puti Chitara.
Barasuara shot to fame in 2015 with the release of its debut studio album Taifun (Typhoon), with lead single “Bahas Bahasa” (Talking about Language) quickly cementing the band’s reputation as one of Indonesia’s up-and-coming groups in the indie music scene, helped by frontman Iga’s penchant for batik shirts at every concert.
Indonesian veteran musicians have lauded Barasuara for its style and delivery.
“It’s been a while since I listened to an Indonesian band this good,” jazz pianist Indra Lesmana said about Barasuara in a tweet. “Their album is super cool!”
Guitarist Abdee Negara of rock band Slank praised Barasuara as “cool and bold”, reminding him of English progressive rock band King Crimson.
One of the main draws of Barasuara for many of its fans – dubbed "Penunggang Badai" (Storm Riders) – is the lyrical ingenuity of each and every song the band has released, filled with wordplay and puns craftily written in formal Indonesian.
Perhaps best exemplified in their latest single released in September last year – “Guna Manusia” (Man’s Purpose) – the song questions humanity’s often destructive actions in a dissonantly upbeat tone that manages to be catchy enough to sing along while also contemplative enough to fit with the band’s signature lyrical rhymes and wordplay.
While the band members each have their own ventures beyond Barasuara – like Iga’s stint as guitarist of The Trees and The Wild as well as Tika and The Dissidents or Puti’s newly released single for horror movie Sunyi (Silent) – the band itself has won a number of accolades.
In 2016, Barasuara was nominated for Best Newcomer at the Anugerah Musik Indonesia (AMI) Awards, while taking home Best Alternative Production for Bahas Bahasa. Barasuara was also dubbed Best Live Act in the same year in the Rolling Stone Editors’ Choice Awards.
Along with headlining acts at high-profile festivals, such as We The Fest and Synchronize Fest, Barasuara also embarked on their own tour in 2016. The Taifun Tour, named after their debut album, took Barasuara to six cities of Java. (ste)
