Anarchy for the Nation
By : Rudolf Dethu
One gig after another, Superman Is Dead is constantly on the road, almost always away from home and, thus, until recently, the Bali-born and raised three-chord combatants have had next to zero spare time to get their heavily tattoo’d arses back into the recording studio. The last time the Kuta boys released an album, Angels and The Outsiders, was in February 2009. That was four years ago, a figure which represents the longest interval between albums in the entire history of their career. Well, the good news that you’ve been waiting for has been and gone. Yes, the wait is over, because, just few weeks ago, otherwise described as this October just gone, the biggest punk rock band in Indonesia smacked us with their latest opus: Sunset di Tanah Anarki.
Released through Sony Music Indonesia, the album consists of 17 songs—the most songs ever to be released on a single SID album. Staying true to their beliefs, Bobby Kool, Jon Eka Rock, and JRX, remain passionate in their fight for humanism, pacifism, pluralism and issues of equality. Choosing “Jadilah Legenda” as their first single represents an obvious statement about their idealism and the official videoclip for the track is an attempt to illustrate a strong support toward Bhinneka Tunggal Ika, the official national motto of Indonesia which means “unity in diversity,” to respect multiculturalism. Overall, the music presented within this latest album sees the boys travelling further through new realms of genre experimentation. Not only do they visit their usual destination of punk rock, but they go boat-tripping on a wild adventure to hardcore, metal, rockabilly, arena rock, and even throw a little drum’n’bass into the mix, in addition to orchestra and church choir.
So what’s with anarchy? Let’s pass the mic to JRX: “Our desire for change, for the better, shall forever remain our eternal spirit, and anarchy as the trigger. We used the word anarchy as the liberation channel, as an attempt to transform anarchy into an advanced form of love—to help our home (Bali) from cultural, environmental, economic destruction.” The fight against such catastrophe has become an effective stimulant for the band’s songwriting process. “This unhappy world, has become a solid catalyst, and we produced tons of new songs because of that. Our label asked for 13 songs for the album, we gave them 17 war anthems,” adds JRX, flashing his trademark grin.
Founded in 1995, Superman Is Dead, were drawn together by a common love of Green day and NOFX, and their immediate underground cult status eventually transformed the trio from Kuta into a darling on the national scene. Their journey from punks to punk rock mega stars officially began after signing with Sony Music Indonesia in 2003. Perhaps SID is proof that when you throw a love of anarchy into the mix, a little bit of Kuta can go a long way. To date, they’ve released 9 albums, including one, 1997-2009, released on vinyl. Liked by more than 4 million in-your-face fans, SID hold the record for Facebook fans.
Get a yourself a piece of SID, stalk them, and grab a copy of their latest album at www.supermanisdead.net.
________
• This article was firstly published on The Beat (Jakarta) #92, December 2013
• Co-editor: Lauren Shipman
• Photos: Fabio Lorenzo
http://www.rudolfdethu.com/2013/12/03/superman-is-dead-anarchy-for-the-nation/