We Sat Down With Indonesian Rock Band, Reality Club, Before Their First Canadian Show
From the heart of Jakarta, where the bustling indie music scene is producing some of the freshest and most innovative artists, comes Reality Club, a band that’s as versatile and as it is passionate. Blending indie rock and alternative pop, Reality Club has carved out its niche, captivating global audiences with introspective lyricism and infectious melodies.
March 25, 2024 | Written by Christine BradshawAs Reality Club continues to rise in prominence both locally and internationally, we were lucky enough to catch some time with them before they hit the stage at Velvet Underground for their first Canadian show. We sat down with Fathia Izzati (vocals, piano), Faiz Novascotia Saripudin (guitar, vocals), Nugi Wicaksono (bass), and Era Patigo (drums), the creative minds behind Reality Club, to delve into the origins of their unique sound, the collaborative spirit that drives their creative process, and the boundless horizons that lie ahead for this charming ensemble.
(Left to right) Nugi Wicaksono, Fathia Izzati, Faiz Novascotia Saripudin, Era Patigo, on the roof of The Velvet Underground
Photo credit: Christine Bradshaw
What's the origin story behind the name "Reality Club"? Does it hold a special meaning for the band?
FATHIA: It does and it doesn't. But we'll give you the one that does.
FAIZ: So it started off with the idea that all four of us really disliked it when people would label themselves as realists but it was really only a cover, a front, because they're actually just pessimists. Every time they say something like "I'm just being realistic", "I'm just being a realist", it's always something negative. They never say something positive. So we wanted to inject a dose of reality where there are positives and negatives. And so yeah, we made songs that kind of balanced the two things, like positive and negative things in your life.
So your band is part of the Indonesian indie music scene and, admittedly, I'm pretty ignorant about that scene. Could you tell me about the culture of indie music in Indonesia?
FAIZ: Don't sleep on it.
FATHIA: We have so many great bands. It's such a great community. Any genre you want, we have it: the rap scene is growing, same with reggae, punk…
FAIZ: Any kind of music you want, we got. And that's why I think, especially in Jakarta, it's very collaborative. It's not really a competition. It feels like it's very... everyone knows everyone and we're all very supportive.
FATHIA: There is space for everyone because Indonesia is the fourth most populous country in the world. And sometimes things feel like it's centralized in the capital city in Jakarta, but in reality… there are so many little islands and there are so many different states. And yeah, there's just room for everybody. So yeah, that's why it doesn't feel competitive.
NUGI: And it makes it diverse as well.
Maybe people in North America might not be familiar with the scene. What aspects of Indonesian indie music are you most excited about introducing to North American audiences?
FAIZ: I was going to say that I just want to be an example, to show hopefully, that we're just as good. You know what I mean? Our country, the musicians from our country, are just as good as any musician you'd find anywhere else. And maybe to some extent even better.
FATHIA: And sometimes we infuse cultural sounds or cultural messages. And sometimes we don't. If we talk more about sound, there are different sounds and instruments that [Indonesian artists use that] are from Indonesia like the gamelan. Or sometimes they would infuse the language, Bahasa Indonesia. Sometimes there's songs that talks about the city, the country. But we realize now, especially in this era, you don't need to do that in order to represent the country. If we talk about K-pop, right? They don't try to push it with the traditional side. But it's big and everybody knows K-pop.
SIERRA (SYNT): You were expressing how you want to emphasis that you guys are just as good. Do you feel like there is that pressure to prove yourself a lot while you are touring around North America?
FAIZ: I think it's more so that when you look for music, I think people are kind of prone to hearing European or American music, right? But I guess that's why I said we're just as good. Next time you want to listen to a musician, don't forget to check out other countries. But in terms of pressure, we don't really feel, I mean, I don't feel any pressure.
ERA: Maybe it's more about proving it to ourselves.
FAIZ: Yeah, that we can perform just as well.
Image source: Reality Club
You've just finished off your Asia tour not too long ago, and this is one of your last stops in North America. What are the most noticeable differences in touring across Asia compared to North America? And what are your most memorable moments from both legs?
FAIZ: I feel like there were a lot more Asians in the Asia tour! [laughter] I don't know, I don't know what it was about that!
FATHIA: No, it's so different. Well, first of all, for the Asia tour, we travelled by plane. And now here we are on the road travelling by land, we're all crammed inside a van. But we love it, it's part of the whole experience. And I feel like if we didn't travel by land, we wouldn't have passed through random cities. We wouldn't have ever gone to, like we'd passed through like...
NUGI: Kalamazoo, Michigan! [laughter] We also went to a Waffle House in Jonesboro, Arkansas.
FATHIA: Yeah, but the crowd is different too. The crowd is different, how they receive and how they enjoy our music is different.
FAIZ: Every country is different. I think one thing about the Indonesian people, when they go to watch a concert or a festival, they really just focus on the bands and performances that they know and want to hear. So as soon as they're done watching, they leave. Meanwhile, when we went to Japan, there was people who just went out to have a good time and they saw, "Oh, there's a music event here. Let's go check it out." They never heard of us or whatever. But when they get there, they're jamming out, enjoying themselves. So I think that's a big difference that we notice. We would get randos who would just enjoy our music. Meanwhile in Indonesia, it's more like they're our fans.
So if you could play a concert anywhere in the world, regardless of venue size or location, where would it be and why?
FATHIA: Toronto! [laughter]
FATHIA: I feel like we're hitting all the cities that we've always dreamed of. You know, we've always practiced saying in the mirror, like, "Hello San Francisco!" or like, "Hello New York!" But now we actually get to do it on stage. It's just, it's really crazy. We manifested it. He manifested it [points to Faiz].
FAIZ: We used to live in Canada and New York [points to himself and Fathia] And when we first started the band, my mom actually reminded me of this earlier today, she was talking about how when I started the band, I told her, "Yeah, someday my band is gonna play in New York and Vancouver." We didn't get to Vancouver, but we got to Toronto! Yeah, when she told me that this morning and I was like, "Holy shit."
How do you approach the songwriting process as a band? Is it a collaborative effort, or does one member typically take the lead? And how do you navigate differences in musical tastes or ideas?
FAIZ: It's a bit of both. So we're not the kind of band who just makes things from scratch during a jam out. We've tried that. It doesn't work. So typically, ever since our first album, how songs are made is one person comes up with a song idea, whether it be like 90% done, 80%, 20%, whatever, and then he or she kind of pitches it to the rest of the band. So this is the song I made, this is what it's about. And then after that, it becomes a collaborative effort, because everyone puts in their touches. And it no longer becomes that individual song anymore. It's the band's song.
And how do we put differences aside? We actually have a very boring, methodical way. Very corporate-like. It takes the uncertainty out of everything. So what we do is we make a mood board. And the mood board consists of three slides. The first slide is a song title and three keywords and what the song is about. The second slide is the lyrics. And then whoever came up with the idea explains the lyrics, and what's underlying it. And then the third is just images: movie scenes, a colour, a person, a quote or a meme. And then that's how we get together and align our vision.
NUGI: To add on that, for me personally at least, I think that humans work better with pressure. And if not pressure then limitations, and with limitations comes creativity. It's a paradoxical thing, but it works. And eventually, with those kinds of limitations, we can get creative inside them.
SIERRA (SYNT): Yeah, too much freedom is catastrophic.
ERA: Actually, freedom without limitations leads to chaos. But freedom with limitations leads to beauty.
FAIZ: That's a beautiful quote.
NUGI: That's straight out of Tumblr. [laughter]
One of my favourite songs of yours is ‘Love Epiphany’. To me, it sounds like a song that belongs on Broadway.
FATHIA: Yes, a musical! That was the purpose.
So what's the most unexpected influence on your music that fans might not know about?
FAIZ: Oh, video games. We made ‘Dancing in the Breeze Alone’ based on a video game about Cowboys called Red Dead Redemption. I loved that game. And it was kind of like, I was kind of scared to share it because as soon as I made this song-
FATHIA: It’s so Cowboy- not Country, like Cowboys.
FAIZ: As soon as I wrote the song, I ran over to her room. I was like, yo, I made a song. It's kind of Cowboy. I don't know if it'll fit the band, and then I played it for her, and then they were very open about it.
NUGI: Or like we say: “Fuck it, let's go.”
FATHIA: And for ‘Love Epiphany’, you mentioned. Yeah, it's actually — so for all of our songs in album three, they’re inspired by movies. And for ‘Love Epiphany’, the inspiration was La La Land.
FAIZ: Yeah, like how in La La Land, it would be like a realistic scene, and then things would turn surreal suddenly. Like that ending scene, right? That's also what we kind of injected in ‘Love Epiphany’, because like at the start, they're not even singing it's just talking, and then it turned into this whole like, [trills a high note] [laughter]
As a band, you've likely faced various obstacles and challenges. So what's one challenge you've overcome together and has ultimately made you stronger as a group?
FATHIA: I think we went through so much. The pandemic, definitely, we had to navigate because no shows whatsoever. No money in our pockets. But we survived. We tried to get creative. Like, what else can we do? We made IG live stuff where it's like, exercise with us, cook with us, Cook with Nugi! [laughter]
ERA: I think the biggest thing that we went through is actually within making the albums is having like different ideas and different thought processes and like the clash of ideas and whatnot and how we navigated that so we stick together instead of like going into it.
FAIZ: Even though we're really like, no filter within each other. But yeah, navigating that because I think we all have different ways of communicating and just trying to understand each other so we can move forward.
Each member brings unique strengths to the band. Could you share a bit about how your individual backgrounds and musical influences contribute to the band’s sound?
FATHIA: So in the band we kind of, it's not mentioned, it's not really written or anything, but like everything from technical stuff, we go to these guys [points to Nugi and Era] . We leave it to them. And then just like the rest is just us. But like, yeah, I love that, like, you know, we can have two people to depend on for all of that stuff because like, I think we all have musical backgrounds. And some of us have taken piano lessons or like vocal lessons.
NUGI: Limited musical background.
FATHIA: Yeah, it's limited because we don't actually study music. Like we didn't go to music school or something.
FAIZ: Yeah, so they went to Law school [points to Fathia and Nugi]. I got a Master's degree in Psychology. He took Computer Engineering [pointing to Era]
FATHIA: So yeah, with that limited musical knowledge, it kind of helps everything like, like we just blend it and especially with our academic side as well. All of the contracts goes through us, him mostly [pointing to Nugi]. Whenever there is a problem or like within the crew, Faiz is there as like, you know, the psychologist, the HR. And then Era is just there to like any computer stuff, he’s got it.
FAIZ: Thinking like an engineer makes him very objective. It's very practical.
NUGI: We're the over-thinkers over here. [laughter] That's the engineer.
SIERRA (SYNT): I like that you didn't study music as well. Sometimes it can be a more rigid approach. You know, more theoretical, instead of actually just being able to express yourself.
FAIZ: We've had moments like that as well. Where it's like, oh, this makes sense musically, but then creatively we think we want to go a different direction and we like to bend the rules. Like, let's do whatever we want.
FATHIA: Also, I feel like we passed through a stage where in the beginning we would see other bands and be like, oh, they're so much better. Or we kind of get insecure because we don't have a professional musical background. But then now it's like whatever, if it sounds good, it sounds good.
“Actually, freedom without limitations leads to chaos. But freedom with limitations leads to beauty.”
The music industry is constantly changing. Back in the day, you'd probably want to get a hit song on the radio, but now you want a hit song on TikTok. So how do you navigate the landscape as an indie band? And what advice would you give to emerging artists?
FATHIA: We have to come clean. We are no longer indie. Since 2021. But we had those years of being independent. We went through all the struggle. But it was pre-TikTok. But now we are in a label called Dominion Records. They are a sub of Universal. So they also help guide us. And I think what I really like about us is we're willing to do whatever it takes. Like you need us to make 10 TikTok videos, if it means our music will get more listens, we will do it. Because at the end of the day, we will find a middle ground where it's still aligned with our morals.
FAIZ: I think with us, like, we were actually indie for a long time. And we could have been in a label earlier. But we really cherish those indie years because we did it on purpose, you know, to stay independent, to know exactly what it takes and what goes on behind the scenes so that when we do someday in the future when we sign into a label, we know what they're doing for us. And because of that, because of the standing we had, we actually came from a bit of a power position where we negotiated with the label.
FATHIA: We're good with like… trying to get what we want. [laughter] Also, we have a really good label where they let us create.
FAIZ: They don't touch the creative. But to reiterate what Fathia said, like what she means by doing everything we want, it comes from a place of respect. I think musicians have this very negative view of their label, of label culture. But it makes sense. Maybe some people — maybe they didn't read the contract or they got cheated or there are horrible labels. But you know, we made sure that the contract we signed, we understood. And then what I mean by coming from a place of respect is we respect that they… they're trying to help. We hear them out and then if we're comfortable doing it, we'll do it. But then they also have to respect us, where like, hey, don’t tell us to make certain types of songs.
What is next for Reality Club? Are there any exciting projects or goals on the horizon that fans can look forward to?
FATHIA: We really want to get back to the studio. We can't wait to make more music. But also we can't wait to go on tour again!
FAIZ: I think this North America tour was quite literally a dream come true. But it's also just the beginning. This is our chance to spread our music, to do an introduction to the people, the good people of North America. [laughter]
FATHIA: The good people of Canada!
FAIZ: We still memorized the national anthem.
FATHIA: Do they do it here? Like in concerts?
SIERRA (SYNT): No. I think, like, sporting events….
CHRISTINE (SYNT): It'd be kind of weird. [laughter]
SIERRA (SYNT): Unless they're patriotic. Like maybe country singers do that. [laughter]
FATHIA: Because in Indonesia we do that before major events. Every event.
NUGI: It's in the law!
FAIZ: But hopefully we get to come back here again and be on bigger stages, [playing] for more people.
FATHIA: And show Canada and America our full potential. Because back home...like coming here we have a different perspective. Back in Indonesia, it's normal for us to play major festivals with like 3,000 people or more. He's gonna show the footage. A little flex…[laughter]
FAIZ: One of our biggest stages. It's once a year we have this big festival.
FATHIA: But like coming here we had a mindset, okay we're just coming here as a new band. Trying to show our music. It's humbling to get like...you know to have like maybe less than 100 or 200 people show up. But we really enjoy it. Because it's so intimate and it reminds us of the good old days. But I also because it's our first time here as well. And our set is kind of stripped down in terms of presentation. Because we usually have visuals.
Era shows us a video of the band performing in front of huge Coachella-esque crowd
SIERRA (SYNT): Oh my gosh how euphoric is that experience?!
FAIZ: It's the craziest thing when all those people sing back to me.
SIERRA (SYNT): Honestly yeah you should feel like the coolest people in the world.
Walking away from our conversation, it’s clear to me that Reality Club isn’t just another band, it's a collective force of creativity and camaraderie held together by a love of music. Without any formal musical training, they intuitively know how to weave a tapestry of raw emotion and unbridled passion, leaving an indelible mark on the indie music landscape.
They gained two new fans that night, and as we eagerly await their next sonic offering and the promise of more electrifying live performances, one thing remains certain: Reality Club is poised to continue uplifting the spirits of audiences all over the world.