Of Martinus Indra “Menus” Hermawan’s many sonic projects, one that might be considered among the Yogyakarta electronic artist’s “less ambitious” projects is the dark wave band COLDVVAVE, in which shares creative authority with fellow musician Yogi “Obluda” Prasetyo.

With just five live performances in the six years since its founding in 2014, COLDVVAVE only started releasing its music during the COVID-19 pandemic.

After releasing in March 2020 the comeback single “As Always”, which featured the first-ever recorded tracks of Martinus’ vocal, COLDVVAVE followed up in July that year with its debut five-track extended play (EP), Eigengrau, made with producer Wednes Mandra.

Not wanting to wait for a whole year after the EP’s release, the band followed with two more singles in 2021: “The Solemn Respites of the Cursed Faith” in June and “The Touches of Disappearing Things,” in October.

Now exploring a new collaboration, COLDVVAVE might be rethinking its ambitions as it prepares for a Southeast Asia micro tour around the turn of the year. It is also mulling over a new musical approach for future releases.

Befriending the void: One of COLDVVAVE's less karaoke-esque performances early after its comeback, which took place at Frog Shelter Coffee Bar, Yogyakarta, on Aug. 26, 2020. (Courtesy Mario Ramadhan) (Courtesy Mario Ramadhan/Courtesy Mario Ramadhan)

Draped in darkness

COLDVVAVE’s beginnings were not usual: The then-duo debuted live as a solo performance featuring only Martinus, who basically sang alone in the dark to playback of their songs in a mordantly karaoke-like rendition.

With the band’s composer-arranger Yogi moving to Jakarta not long after the October 2014 release of its debut single, Martinus performed using this format for years. He took small local gigs from Yogyakarta to Samarinda, casually running the playbacks on his Blackberry.

“That’s why our live setup was always just, well, dark,” chuckled Martinus while speaking to The Jakarta Post on Oct. 4, 2022. While the low lighting was initially a means to tone down the stark, minimalist setup, the band maintained the approach even after Martinus recruited guitarist Yudha Bella Nugraha and bass guitarist Aditya Fauzan in mid-2020 as members of the live band.

He especially recalled COLDVVAVE’s experience in June 2021 of playing in broad daylight in Tasikmalaya, West Java. “It was hard, being a dark wave band performing in the afternoon,” Martinus said with a chuckle.

While the musician can come across as relatively unfussy, he is pretty particular about the band’s mannerisms and esthetics for its live performances, such as having a designated crew for scattering frangipani, the flower usually associated with Indonesian mysticism.

The band’s dynamics were also shifting as Yogyakarta rocker Rachmat “Om Robo” Triwibowo, founder of garage surf band Sundancer and a guitarist with Southern Beach Terror who was collaborating on its latest single, “The Touches of Disappearing Things”, was drawn by circumstances into joining the band.

“He was a featured artist [on the single] back then,” Martinus said about Rachmat’s initial role in the creative process. “But Robo was looking for members for his new wave band back then.”

'New wave' fever

Martinus noted that Yogyakarta was currently experiencing a resurgence in new wave bands in both mainstream and alternative music, a movement he and Rachmat have dubbed “neu wave”.

“DOM65’s bassist formed Deep Debt. There’s also Bodies Aching All The Time [BAAT], Haxant, Haram [...],” he said, naming a few bands.

“Pongki Barata from Jikustik also started making new wave music,” said Rachmat, referring to the musician from a popular ‘90s band that was part of the mainstream “new wave” fever, adding that this “resurgence” had been happening for around a year.

Meanwhile, Martinus mentioned Mayasona as another mainstream musician riding the wave.

“I was thinking of organizing a new wave gig [early on] during the pandemic, but we had trouble finding venues,” he said. “Robo’s band was looking to play as well, but he was looking for a vocalist. It was hard for him, recruiting members.”

Martinus said he felt a connection with Rachmat, who was performing with COLDVVAVE as a featured artist, and coupled with Rachmat’s difficulty finding a vocalist, this ultimately led to Rachmat joing the band and contributing a more significant chunk in the band’s creative control.

“I’m not quite sure about what started the [new wave] movement, but maybe during the pandemic, people were constantly sitting in front of laptops,” Rachmat mused.

“I read this piece about why synthesizer sales were rising during the pandemic. I think people just started exploring more. I also started buying synthesizers at the beginning of the pandemic until I had heaps of them, and was looking to form a band.”

But because Rachmat couldn’t seem to gather any musicians together, when Martinus’ offer came in, “I thought that I might as well join them”, he said.

“Considering as well my early live sets with just a Blackberry and now with a smarter phone,” Martinus chimed in, laughing over the serendipitous circumstances that led to Rachmat joining the band.

Rachmat responded affectionately with a string of curses, cackling, “He only used playbacks! Through his phone!”

Live gig: COLDVVAVE's Martinus Indra Hermawan (right) and live member Yudha Bella Nugraha (left) during the band's performance at Saorsa Kopi Utara, Yogyakarta, on June 19, 2021. (Courtesy Muhammad Iqbal Tawakkal) (Courtesy Muhammad Iqbal Tawakkal/Courtesy Muhammad Iqbal Tawakkal)

Cold synthesis

COLDVVAVE is planning a five-city Southeast Asian tour that includes Singapore, Malaysia and of course, Indonesia, in collaboration with Niskala. The Yogyakarta band is also in the middle of reworking its format to full synthesizers.

“Even the guitarists are going to switch to synthesizers,” noted Martinus.

Asked about their creative dynamics, Martinus responded: “Yogi and I did all the past materials. Om Robo here hasn’t written any songs apart from the last single, in which he played as a featured artist."

COLDVVAVE’s two latest singles, “The Solemn Respites of the Cursed Faith” and “The Touches of Disappearing Things”, has subtly darker overtones, with Martinus singing as if he is writhing in pain that is even more severe than in earlier songs, pleading for his life over the cold, sparse-yet-sinister guitar strokes and thumping drum machines seemingly devoid of any emotion.

“You need to start cooking up songs soon,” Martinus told Rachmat, snickering.

“I will. It’ll be easy, Mas [brother],” Rachmat replied, jokingly. “I just need to come up with three chords. It’s very punky.”

“We’re also reworking our past songs to fit the full-synth format,” Martinus continued. “That’s the new member’s responsibility.”

“Uh-huh. Is that so,” Rachmat said.

“He came up with the idea. He needs to take responsibility for it,” Martinus chuckled. “Else, I’ll go back to the Blackberry.”

“No!” Rachmat exclaimed.