SINGAPORE – There is more to pop music than just love songs, say Indonesian alternative rockers Efek Rumah Kaca.

When the quartet released their self-titled debut album in 2007, one of the more prominent songs from the release was Cinta Melulu, a critique of the music industry’s over-reliance on the tired cliche of romantic tunes.

Over the years, the band made their name not just for their progressive musicality, but also for lyrics that touch on socio-political issues. Their accolades include several wins at Indonesian music awards ceremony Anugerah Musik Indonesia.

Efek Rumah Kaca’s upcoming gig at Esplanade Concert Hall on May 21, part of Esplanade’s Malay arts fest Pesta Raya, is their first show here in 13 years, having last played at Republic Polytechnic in 2010.

Their newest album Rimpang, released in January, is their boldest political statement to date, with songs inspired by political activism in Indonesia.

When they started out, there were not many bands in Indonesia that sang about politics, frontman and guitarist Cholil Mahmud, 47, says in a Zoom interview with his bandmates.

Cholil was speaking from New York, where he is based, while the rest were in Jakarta. Their ages range from 39 to 47. 

“The music has a role. It’s not only for entertainment. I can learn a lot from music. So I put out my music as a work of art to start a discourse,” says Cholil, who formed Efek Rumah Kaca – the Indonesian term for “greenhouse effect” – in 2001 with drummer Akbar Bagus Sudibyo and former bassist Adrian Yunan Faisal.

The music industry, says Cholil, has not changed all that much over the years.  

“Even though music is easily made right now and, every week, we have a lot of new songs from new and old bands, the topic of their songs is not diverse, it’s limited. We still need more musicians to write songs about many things with good perspectives, with angles and good songwriting,” he adds.

Their latest album includes songs inspired by the student-led demonstrations against the government that took place in the streets of Jakarta in 2019, which Cholil observes has been the biggest protest to take place in the country since 1998.

In addition, the rhizome concept by French philosophers Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari gave rise to the album title. Cholil explains: “The forms of criticism can happen from not only a structure like a tree, but it can also go underground, multi-level, like an underground stem.”

Their line-up has since gone through several changes. Bassist Airil “Poppie” Nur Abadiansyah, who first performed with the band in 2012, has replaced Adrian. Their newest member, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Reza Ryan, joined in 2017.

While their debut Singapore gig involved them playing songs from their first album and sophomore release Kamar Gelap (2008), their upcoming Esplanade concert will include more offerings from the rest of their albums – Sinestesia (2015), Rimpang and their 2020 EP, Jalan Enam Tiga.

Their influence looms large over the current crop of new bands that have emerged in recent years, and YouTube has many videos of younger acts covering Efek Rumah Kaca songs.

The admiration is mutual, Cholil insists. “It’s the kind of dynamic that we want to have. We inspire others, but we are also inspired by the younger bands or the younger generation. We need that to make our music more relevant. We also want to move our music to another spectrum, so we don’t play the same kind of music over and over again.”

Efek Rumah Kaca

Where: Esplanade Concert Hall, 1 Esplanade Drive
When: May 21, 8pm
Admission: From $44 via Sistic (go to www.sistic.com.sg or call 6348-5555)