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witchfoot is planning to surf the hearts of its Indonesian fans once more this month, back after a successful concert at Tennis Indoor Senayan three years ago on January 2008.

The five piece American alternative rock band will be performing at Hard Rock Café Jakarta in front of limited hard core fans this April 29, with presale tickets priced from Rp 275,000.

A previously unscheduled performance, the band’s coming risks being overshadowed by the likes of Justin Bieber and The Radio Dept. But Switchfoot’s decision to return is somewhat similar to an experiment in applied chemistry class.

If they’re successful, judging by the number of people attending, we could say that Jakarta’s taste in music (or bands) is fairly stable despite the continuous hordes of new bands and performers whom, in recent times, have attained instant fame like the rising sun, only to be followed by a downfall on the count of three.

And Switchfoot does seem to have perfected the formula used by the many similar bands in the business. Its vocalist/guitarist Jon Foreman, for example, might have won the Les Paul Horizon Award for the most promising up-and-coming guitarist in 2001, but he’s no Steve Vai and definitely doesn’t sing like Dio.

While other band members, Tim Foreman on bass, Chad Butler on drums, Jerome Fontamillas on guitar and keyboards and Drew Shirley on yet another guitar are people you’ve never heard of.

But this is where Switchfoot stand out as a winner. These are not individuals who outshine other individuals through the music; these are five people acting as a solid band who play exactly how Switchfoot should sound.

Nobody in the band really stands out, but it has managed to kick some bollocks in its era with beautifully crafted songs, heartfelt lyrics and engaging guitar-centric arrangements. More than everything Switchfoot is a winner due to its ability to be an exemplary band that doesn’t sound like any other band –aside from sounding really, really good.

And that formula we’re talking about is its ability to come up with not a perfect album, but perfect songs that just hit people in the head, gluing people’s ears to the speakers. These songs are not just awesome, they’re beyond beautiful, it’s almost petrifying.

Though Tim did say they’re making music for “thinking people”, judging from the way their lyrics transcend through, some of their most memorable tunes do relate to the listeners’ everyday lives, of ordinary occurrences, from the simplest moments to the most heartfelt situations.

Switchfoot’s 2009 album Hello Hurricane won a Grammy in 2011 for Best Rock or Gospel Album category -though the band continuously denied that it has have anything to do with the genre. And songs like Ammunition, Dare You to Move, Meant to Live and Mess of Me have won prestigious awards in the best song of the year category.

Its popularity in Indonesia might have dropped down a couple notches, thanks to MTV playing nothing but ludicrous RnB and Hip Hop videos and local TVs shifting their focus to sleazy soapies, but Switchfoot is Switchfoot, and they’re definitely worth not switching your loyalties.

Pre-tickets are available at jakartaconcerts.com.