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Sailing through the archipelago with tropical indie-poppers The Dare
In less than four years, just by being themselves, the women of The Dare have contributed to changing the landscape of the independent music scene in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara.
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With the fans: The Dare after a show in Semarang, Central Java, in April 2019 as part of the Wave of Love Mini Tour Vol. 2.
(Instagram/Courtesy of yk.wknd.gigs's Instagram account)
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ailing from Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), the “tropical tweepop” quartet The Dare started off as four women in their 20s who just wanted to have fun playing music. But in less than four years, the band has captured the attention of the Indonesian independent music scene, as well as their own community in Lombok. Their latest EP release, Women Who Sailed the World, was highly sought after and all 150 tapes sold out in just two hours. Even though the eponymous single of the EP isn’t exactly an eye-popping number, the feat is pretty impressive considering it happened during the pandemic.
Speaking exclusively to The Jakarta Post via Zoom on July 28, the band says the title of the EP was a nod to themselves and their identities, as they metaphorically and literally sailed through the seas to get to where they were — members are currently scattered on the islands of Sumbawa, also in NTB, Lombok and Bali. Representing their strong tie to Lombok is the cover of the EP, which features a woman sitting on a beach with a big smile on her face and a cigarette in her hand, clearly having the time of her life.
“Her name is Via Damay, she lives in Kuta, Central Lombok, and she’s an amazing woman who has done a lot for the community, from organizing punk gigs and art exhibitions to supporting us as fellow women,” said Desita Qudratul Aulia, the youngest member of the band. “She’s a good friend and she’s very inspiring to all of us.”
The band’s strangely and wonderfully upbeat and catchy single “7.0”, released in February, recalls the people of Lombok's horrifying experience when a 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit the island in 2018, which caused panic and anxiety.
“And we stayed in a stable like a pet/This panic attacked like a cluster bomb inside my head,” the song goes.
'Dedare' power
Formed in 2018, the band took the inspiration for their name from the local Lombok word dedare (women).
