Forming in 2018, Nearcrush is manned by some familiar faces in the Bandung independent music scene: Kevin Arifin (vocals, guitars), Aldy Kusumah (guitar, bass, vocals) and Deathless Ramz (guitar, bass, synth) - all of whom have played in other music projects before, as well as in a variety of roles in the scene, including music writing.

Falling into the comfortable arms of fuzz and cavernous, reverb-heavy sounds, the 35-minutes album displays unabashed worship to space rock, shoegaze and alternative rock. Involvement from fellow Bandung musicians - members of the rock groups Collapse and ALICE - as well as the already saturated indie-rock pool might be factors behind why the album lacks any surprising elements, as similar sounds had been explored years before.

The album opens with a voiceover from the Japanese bullet train Shinkansen, which takes the listener into a one-minute intro song dominated by crunchy guitars. It lends to the narrative that the album was likely written by the band while visualizing Japanese city landscapes passing them as they ride a Shinkansen train, listening to this album through their earphones.

Obvious adoration of time spent in Japan is shown with the album art. The booklet does not display any lyrics but instead a collection of melancholy photographs depicting a lone Japanese vending machine, a busy Japanese street lined with neon billboards and a Japanese gas station - all drenched in pinkish-purple hues.

The album sounds close to other Bandung indie rock bands such as Heals and Collapse, who also have a love of the atmospheric distorted sounds of western bands like Smashing Pumpkins, Ride, The Flaming Lips and My Bloody Valentine.

“Ocean’s Depth” stands out as the catchiest song on the album. Although it is challenging to comprehend what the words are, the song has the kind of breezy delivery of contemporary tracks found in popular Spotify indie playlists. While it is meant to set a mood, the effects used on the vocals often ends up masking the song’s melodies and hooks, instead of pushing any particular mood or momentum forward. A more-defined sense of direction in the album’s layering of its instruments would have greatly benefited it -- because there is promise here.

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