Ramayan's psychedelic roots collides with 70s synth-pop in this song about obsessive love.
RELEASE DATE: 1 MAY 2020 GENRE: PSYCH POP / PSYCH ROCK/ NUSANTARA POP LABEL: LUNCAI EMAS SDN. BHD.
Four years since they’ve released their self-titled EP, the psychedelic Nusantara rock outfit, Ramayan, is back with a new love-laced single from their upcoming album. This time they’ve committed to a warmer, lower-fidelity retro-ness familiar to people who listen to 70s pop stars or their contemporary descendants, e.g. Tame Impala, Little Dark Age-era MGMT, or Ariel Pink .
‘Lamunan Anak Bulan’ uses the imagery of new moons and clouds to symbolise a lover’s outpouring of devotion, but there’s also a level of romantic egotism to the lyricism (Ohh awan, bukalah jendelamu buat sementara/Bukankah kita manusia yang terpilih) that feels ironic. The type of songwriting that often makes me come back to Ramayan even in their simplest tunes. The track veers away from the band’s didactic, teaching songs with commentary on society or morality, like in their previous single ‘Sepintas Sastera Hati’ - but ‘Lamunan Anak Bulan’ is more than just a basic love song in multiple ways.
Avoiding the crispy, wholesome production of their other popular serenade, ‘Oh Dewiku’, ‘Lamunan Anak Bulan’ immerses the listener immediately into retro productions. The drums, the guitars, and the vocal productions all weave wonderfully together - shaky, but does its job. The way the drums are mixed into this track gives it just the right amount of rawness without ruining the overall technical sharpness of the song.
The track even has a second chapter, embellished with more magical instrumentation. More fuzzy drum-fills and a sleek guitar solo at the end. As the instrumentation weaves in and out, almost melting each other, the song takes a stop to breathe at the end, punctuated poetically and fittingly by lyrics about melting into the light (“Sayang biarlah kita lebur ke dalam cahaya”)
Lamunan Anak Bulan is already one of my favourite songs from Ramayan. My only minor gripe is that the second half feels less pointed and purposeful in comparison to some of their previous codas like in Sepintas Sastera Hati or Hantu. The atmosphere feels improvisational, which isn’t entirely a bad thing but leaves me wondering if there would be a more solid conceptual backbone to the song if it was anchored to something - a clearer texture, a melody, or a closure.
Either way, definitely a single that makes me excited for their album.
Listen to their previous single 'Sepintas Sastera Hati':
RATING:
4.5 / 5
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