30/08/2025

LYFE SATURDAY | AUG 30, 2025

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Romance through humour o Reality Club returns with ‘Who Knows Where Life Will Take You?’

T HE title of the Reality Club’s fourth album is Who Knows Where Life Will Take You? and it is a fitting reflection of the Jakarta based quartet’s journey so far. The album features 13 tracks, led by the focus single Now I’m a Diplomat . Written over a nine-day songwriting retreat in Ubud, Bali in May 2024, the songs were later recorded at Tree Recording Studio in Bangkok with producers Brad Oberhofer, Iga Massardi and Wisnu Ikhsantama. For vocalist-guitarist Faiz Novascotia Saripudin, vocalist Fathia Izzati, drummer Era Patigo and bassist Nugi Wicaksono, this record marks their most personal and confident work to date. Romance remains the beating heart of Reality Club’s music, particularly through Faiz’s witty yet heartfelt lyricism on Muted Sirens and You’ll Find Lovers Like You and Me . This time though he injects more humour, as heard on Lost Myself in Reveries , Finding a Catholic Man to Love the Love of My Life , Shut Up, Behave and Thank You for Hijacking My Existential Crisis . Stylistically, the album revisits the carefree indie-rock spirit of their debut while carrying the polish and growth earned over nine years together. “Looking back, we made Never Get Better just so we could play our own songs in the car. On What Do You Really Know? , we were trying to prove to people that we were cool and edgy, and on Reality Club Presents..., we challenged ourselves with genres, an orchestra and movie like videos. On this album, we’re not trying to prove anything – not even to ourselves. That’s why it feels closest to our first,” Faiz said. The themes also expand to stories drawn from family life. Era’s boisterous opener I’ll Do It Myself captures his wife’s workplace frustrations, while Fathia dedicates the lullaby Mama’s Coming Home to her son, pokes fun at her brother Faiz’s love life on Quick! Love! , and honours their father’s journey from small-town boy to globetrotting ambassador on the jaunty Now I’m a Diplomat . She also contributes the haunting Enough for You . “It took a lot of living to write this album. As individuals, we’ve grown so much,” said Fathia. Another milestone comes with Close to You/Jauh , Reality Club’s first-ever Indonesian language song, adapted by Nugi from a Fathia

The cover art of Who Knows Where Life Will Take You?

on it,” said Faiz. Following the ambitious “Reality Club Presents...”, expectations were high – but the band sees this record as their most fulfilling yet. “It already feels like a success because we love it. That has always been our number one measure,” Faiz added. “It’s our most personal album, and all four of us feel deeply connected to it,” Nugi agreed. So, who knows where Who Knows Where Life Will Take You? will lead Reality Club? Wherever the path goes, they hope their loyal Goddess Rockstars join the ride. “This album taught me so much through the recording and the stories we shared,” Era said. “I hope it improves our listeners’ lives the way it did mine. I just hope people find their own meaning in these songs,” Fathia added. Above all, the band has learned to appreciate themselves. “I don’t know if it’s talent or magic or connection, but we do have something. Maybe we’re not small-time fries anymore. Maybe we do deserve what we’ve had. Whatever comes next, that’s not for us to decide. But what we already achieved – we deserve that,” Faiz said.

Reality Club’s album Who Knows Where Life Will Take You? features 13 tracks.

“It forced us to be efficient, and that pressure made us more creative. The microphones didn’t just capture our instruments but every look, emotion and laugh,” said Era. Each producer brought a distinct touch: Oberhofer on songs like Quick! Love! and Mama’s Coming Home , Massardi with his guitar-forward vision on I’ll Do It Myself and Shut Up, Behave , and Ikhsantama, who shaped tracks such as Muted Sirens and Close to You/Jauh while also mixing the entire record. “Tama has this way of understanding the story and emotion behind each song before working

original. It marks his songwriting debut, alongside his rocker Does It Happen? “Whenever people asked if we’d ever make a song in Indonesian, the other members always pointed to me. I can’t wait to see how people react,” he laughed. Determined to capture a more authentic energy, the band recorded live in Bangkok with all members, including long-time live guitarist Gerry Roithart and new synth player Upi Maajid playing together in the same room. The strict 10-to-five studio hours sharpened their focus.

Thai songwriter Daniel Ryn returns with ‘self-recovery’ Struggling to Come Back

Rol3ert expands sound with ballad RISING Japanese singer and songwriter Rol3ert has released his fifth single Say My Name, a different chapter for the 19-year old as his first-ever alternative ballad and one that was co produced by Japanese indie band The fin.’s lead vocalist Yuto Uchino. Built around guitar riffs, live drums performed by Brother Sun Sister’s Yusuke Okada and shimmering synths, Say My Name reflects on life, death, symbolic love and the lingering of a name.

THAI songwriter Daniel Ryn has returned with Struggling to Come Back , a sonic depiction of self recovery as a quiet, unglamorous process. “I wrote Struggling to Come Back during what I called my self proclaimed retirement – a period when I thought I’d stepped away from making music. Turns out, I loved it far more than I’d admitted to myself. I still wanted to stand in front of a crowd that would understand this kind of song, to give them something they’d value as much as I value them,” Ryn said. He revealed recording the track became a “matter of stealing moments”. “Before and after sound checks at Melt Livehouse, I’d squeeze in takes. Sometimes, I’d drive back at 1am or 2am, set up on stage, and play as if the room were full.” He also shared that the track came together with the help of his two friends: Boss, up in Bang Na, and Robert, who was working remotely while travelling through Spain. With themes of burnout, personal inertia and emotional flatlines, the track has a mix of lo-fi and late-night melancholia, with influences from Clairo, The Sundays, Damon Albarn and Lou Reed. The chorus – “Out of my head, out of my head, out of my head” – captures the sound of burnout and

Rol3ert, who usually builds near-complete demos on his own, invited Uchino to join him on the track to further enrich the scale and atmosphere. “The production began the moment I heard the demo, and sounds instantly formed in my head. Meeting Rol3ert and experiencing his presence and personality made it feel like everything about him was transforming into music,” said Uchino. ”Recording vocals and drums, I saw him genuinely enjoying himself and it reminded me of the pure joy I felt when I first started my band. I am thrilled to witness the moment he spreads his wings from Japan to the world and I cannot wait to see where his journey takes him.” The single comes on the heels of Rol3ert’s growing momentum across Southeast Asia, with Indonesia ranking as his biggest

market on Spotify and the Philippines for over a quarter of YouTube views for his previous single, Nerd . After debuting officially at the start of 2025, Rol3ert sold out his first solo headline show in July and performed on the prestigious Fuji Rock Festival ‘25 stage, delivering emotive performances that built his reputation as a bold new voice in Japan’s global-facing music scene. Rol3ert has released his fifth single Say My Name recently. – PIC FROM EXCITER RECORDS

Ryn’s Struggling to Come Back revolves around the themes of burnout, personal inertia and emotional flatlines.

he now focuses solely on Melt Livehouse, a 700-capacity space championing regional talent. Ryn’s work blends memory, mood, and restraint – written in the quiet margins of a life spent curating sound and live acts at his venue. With Fortuna Fader , he opens the door to neighbouring scenes, ready to tour and share his music with audiences far beyond his home city.

slow self-recovery. Rather than a triumphant comeback, it offers just the sound of quietly picking it back up. Ryn is a Bangkok-based multidisciplinary artiste and songwriter whose introspective indie pop emerges from sessions held between sound checks and after closing up shop. Having founded several of the city’s most respected music venues,