HEALS

Heals is the latest collective of alternative rock, the release of a leading independent label from Bandung, FFWD Records. The band consists of Alyuadi “Aldi” Febryansyah (vocals, guitar), Reza “Eja” Arinal (guitar), Octavia “Via” Variana (bass, backing vocals), Muhammad Ramdhan (guitar), and Adi “Cumi” Reza (drums). They formed since 2013 and have just released their debut album titled Spectrum.
Spectrum contains ten songs that represent the introduction of Heals to the music scene. Of the ten songs, some of them have been released as singles. Call it “Void”, “Wave”, and the most recent, “False Alarm” which was released simultaneously with the music video. Since “Void” was released two years ago, not a few compare them with alternative British rock units, My Vitriol.
Pentagon Sajama Cut, Marchel Thee through his commentary in The Jakarta Post for example, said, “it is almost impossible to listen to the Spectrum and not to cast one promising band from My Vitriol.” Even during the tour, at one point, precisely in Surabaya, one of the audience shouted, “Playin My Vitriol dong!” The request was immediately answered the vocalist, Aldi with a joke, “Later aja Vitriol pas idul vitri.”
The strong influence of the band that left Ravi Kesavaram and Som Wardner as its members is undeniable considering the Heals also brought cover My Vitriol songs on some of their first stage. “For example” Void “, when the beginning of this projection is still a lot of listening My Vitriol, the character of the music is almost the same as” Void “, from My Vitriol that we can inspire to make a song like this aja, chasing sound there,” I Aldi .
Still warm in their memories, the song “Always: Your Way” My Vitriol became ammunition to audition the band in order to appear in the bazaar event SMA Negeri 2, Bandung early 2014. Once escaped, the stage is housed in the indoor area of ​​Sabuga this then became the first stage Heals. To accompany My Vitriol songs are delivered, “Void” was created as the band’s first song.
“Make” Void “emang rush, because we need a song for a gig.” Do not we have our own songs? The first gig. “Finally, be” Void “is our only song between the songs cover My Vitriol other,” recalled Aldi.
Just like the new band that first gig, the atmosphere of indoor area Sabuga was still very quiet and dark. They performed during the day as an opening band. “The one who watches the committee (laughs), the exercise is what he thinks,” Via recalls, bassist Heals. Even so they are happy, their first stage is big enough and is in the venue Sabuga class.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbmZobFWP0Y

The “Void”, originally only used as the sole own song on the first stage, was later recorded seriously and then uploaded on Souncloud’s official Heals account.
“The recording is fraudulent, too, not targeted, this is the band most willing to break up. (Laugh) Without any heavy thoughts, we weigh the record of our debut album,” said Eja, the guitarist. So fond of working on “Void”, the band wrote: “The band is OTW (on the way) serious” in the bio twitter band.
Uniquely, although done with the intention of almost pessimistic, precisely “Void” recognized the personnel as the most appropriate recording. “So far, the song (Void) is the most satisfied, because dimixing by people who mixing Noah (laugh),” Aldi recalled, remembering the work of mixing the first single Heals.
Tit for tat. Single “Void” upload results get lots of feedback. One of them is from the organizers of collective gigs An Intimacy who suddenly invites Heals to play on their show. At the show poster, Heals is listed as Antimes Vol.6, February 2015 with Frau, Munthe, Bedchamber, and Strangers.
“So it’s the same FFWD that makes An Intimacy as a monthly event to find new talent, especially for bands Bandung that have not been able to stage. Even finally Heals play in the event with the curation process of FFWD records and Monsterstress Record, it’s a kind of collective gigs both labels, "explains Vando, manager of Heals.
On the stage An Intimacy Heals immediately received attention from a number of players in the music scene of the city of Flowers, including music observer Idhar Resmadi and founder of FFWD Records, Marine Ramdhani. Attention was not immediately apparent. But the Heals personnel still remember the two men watching them while performing at An Intimacy vol.6.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2qrpH8PS1A

Feeling a chance, Heals immediately send a direct message via social media twitter to Marine. “How is it possible to make cooperation?” Aldi story. Did not take long, the Marine immediately replied, “oh, mess around wrote to the office”. After several meetings at the FFWD records office, Heals was officially signed a contract with an indpenden label from Bandung.
November 28, 2015 through the official instagram account @healsmusic Aldi cs immediately announced that Heals worked on their debut album with FFWD records. Through the announcement they also promised to release the first album in early 2016.
“We can be in Rolling Stone anyway (laugh),” said Aldy excited as she blushed. “We immediately instagram instagram, the news that time,” After nine years of vacuum, FFWD signed a new artist from Bandung. That’s the highlight of FFWD. “
One of the great effects that Heals received some time after the signing of the partnership, the Rocking The Region Singapore directly contacted to make Heals one of the main line ups.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsZniwofsqc

Spectrum worked for approximately two months in an empty house in Bandung during the month of Ramadan in 2016. Although not yet recorded there, the five personnel agreed intensely doing this in the house every night. Session sharing ideas, brainstorming, to the selection of songs like what will be on this debut album is done at that time. Including workshop process, making guides and draft raw for later recorded at Masterplan studio, Bandung.
Broadly speaking Spectrum speaks about the combined fantasy of human life and the perspective of each Heals personnel. Unification of this variety of refrensi then analogy as a “prism” that can refract the color into white. “It’s like we are refrensions each of us must be different, but in this Spectrum everything is one, that’s the philosophy,” explained Aldi who also agreed other personnel.
Aldi and Eja became the two most dominant personnel as lyricists. Both tell a lot about human anxiety in everyday life. Of the ten songs, one of the most describes the anxiety is found in the single “False Alarm.” The story of daily social life is deliberately made with a surreal style.
“” False Alarm “is a personal experience, too, for example I have more problems and pressure from everywhere, which makes myself feel like I’m carrying a very heavy burden, but if we can calm down, think clearly, the problem as it can be solved easily, "Spell explains at length. "The point is what we think is not necessarily like that, just false alarm aja.”
“Void”, which means a vacuum, was inspired by Gravity film director Alfonso Cuaron. The lyrics more or less describe the inspired descriptions of some scenes from the film. There is also “Lunar”, listed as the second song, actually taken from a woman’s name. From that idea “Lunar” further describes the abstract impression that arises when it is in contact with that person.
In the next number, “Azure” is quite straightforward to tell a man who lived his days as someone far from a masculine stereotype. Similarly “Anastasia”, still in a surrealist style, tells the condition of the individual who is trapped in his own fantasy.
The last song created on this album is “Dazed”. Created spontaneously while recording an album in the Masterplan studio, the song with this unique drum beats only works as a filler album. “When booking studio schedules for recording, all the songs have come in. But there’s still one schedule left the next day, wow, this less material, what is recorded?” recalls Spell. Later that day a day left Aldi used to work on “Dazed”, where his music was spontaneously done on the shift as well as the last day of their recording sessions.
As the interview of this article goes on, Heals is in the series of Heals Spectrum Java – Bali Tour 2017. Unfortunately from the seven drop-off points, Jakarta has not been included in their promo tour point for this debut album. “Jakarta will be euy, prepared for the launching here also pengennya,” said Vando, responding about why Jakarta has not listed as a city that healed for Heals tour.
Working independently and with the support of the FFWD records label, Heals held this tour from 13 April to 1 May yesterday. Opening the tour by playing in Canting area, Yogyakarta, Heals closed the tour in Denpasar, Bali. As far as three points have been lived, counted during the interview, Semarang is the city’s most crowded audience. While Yogyakarta became unexpected, initially felt lonely, it even satisfy all parties.
Heals Spectrum Java – Bali Tour 2017 became the first tour experience of each personnel as a band called Heals. Many fears that sometimes arise when looking at a fairly crowded tour schedule. Between one point to another, it could happen only one day difference. The trip is sometimes only taken by land. “If I am personally, I am afraid that I will be sick in the tour agenda, suddenly ngedrop for example,” said Eja.
In contrast to Spell, some personnel are hesitant about the appreciation gained in each city. “As a new band on the tour it sometimes fears not appreciated,” Aldi open. “Moreover, our music is not as common as it is, just like playing in Cirebon so many people are still confused, if my personal attention is so, people sometimes confused about how to enjoy it,” added Via.
Despite the anxiety, of the seven points that they live during Heals Spectrum Java – Bali Tour 2017 enough fifth satisfied to see people directly listen and enjoy the work of Heals debut. The appreciation obtained is an unexpected achievement for them as a debutant band. Moreover, Spectrum is evidence for a number of Heals personnel who always fail to release releases when joined in previous bands.
“This first album is proof, like proof to others that this band is there, it’s his work, and the physical album is the proof,” said the drummer, Cumi. “After a long friendship for years, the core of this album is the result of our friendship,” continued Spell. “The results of angarahin mother is, if again come home at night, this is, already have result,” close Via wise.