Q: I love your vocals and the dreamy instrumental in this track! Walk me through your production and writing process on “No One Will Talk About Us (No One Will Owe Us Anything)”
Alpha Mortal Foxtrot: Thank you! Mixing multiple layers of overdrive with baritone vocals was a huge gamble but we’re just glad that it finally pays off! The track was recorded, mixed and mastered in Jakarta (Indonesia). Wiku Anindito (Vocal & Guitar) wrote this track together with Dinda Citrini (a corporate comms person by day, writer by night, based in Singapore) as an anthem for the underdogs to always get up and find the courage to defy expectations.
Q: What’s the music scene like in Indonesia?
Alpha Mortal Foxtrot: It’s really vibrant. We found that the scene has been very supportive and the production costs (in terms of recording, mixing, and mastering) are relatively low when compared to our neighboring countries, so everybody is making music here. In recent years, we have more local artists that are ready to make it to the international stage, so we believe that the scene has been progressing positively.
Q: Your music has many different elements to it and it has a very unique sound. In your own words, how would you describe the music that you typically create?
Alpha Mortal Foxtrot: We describe our music as alternative rock with sonic soundscapes that you can sing to. We often rely on multi-layered echo and overdrive, constant change of tempo and dynamic drum patterns to create a distinct wall of sounds in each song. Some local critics say that our music is basically shoegaze/new gaze with more upfront vocals, while according to some others its alternative rock with strong influences of 2000s British rock.
Q: What are your fondest musical memories? In your house? In your neighborhood or town?
Alpha Mortal Foxtrot: Well, it was quite surprising to see ourselves on the cover of Spotify’s curated playlist last year — totally beyond our expectation as a new band.
Q: What has been one of your most favorite memories along the path to making “No One Will Talk About Us (No One Will Owe Us Anything)”?
Alpha Mortal Foxtrot: The track was written during challenging times when people often told us that we were incapable of doing something. So, from the date when the track was written until now, this happens to be our personal favorite as this usually tops our morning playlist, giving the reason for us to lay low and keep working to turn things around and shut people up when we are being overlooked. Simply put, we just love to be the underdogs. We feel like we beat the odds. We believe that it’s much easier for us to prevail when no one talks about us or owes us anything.
Q: How did your band members initially come together?
Alpha Mortal Foxtrot: We started back in 2019 when Raiden Soedjono (who was previously drumming for various Indonesian rock legends) called Ricky Putra (guitar) to start a band. Both of them have been best friends since high school. After a couple of jam sessions, they decided to team up with non-musicians, by inviting a business consultant, Adrian Hardjapamekas (Bass), and an intellectual property/tech lawyer, Wiku Anindito (Vocal & Guitar), to join the band.
Q: If you were stranded on a desert island and could only take one song or album to listen to, what would it be?
Alpha Mortal Foxtrot: That is a tough one! Well, probably it would depend on our survival chances. If we have low chances to survive, we’ll play the whole tracks from Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon and die slowly. However, if we are pushing our luck, we’ll blast Queens of the Stone Age’s Song For the Dead and hope that the SAR team will notice us.
Q: What comes next for you guys?
Alpha Mortal Foxtrot: We’re wrapping up our debut album to be released this year. It was initially scheduled to be released early this year, but the pandemic forced us to push back given the delays during the mixing/mastering process and shooting our music videos
Interviewed by Melissa Cusano
