Reminiscing Banda Neira : Journey, Discography, and Milestones
Today (12/23), we received shocking news in the form of an announcement by a folk band from Bandung, Banda Neira. The band took to their social media earlier this morning, to inform their fans and peers alike, that Banda Neira will no longer continue their journey as a band. The difficult decision was culminated after one year of consideration by the members, Rara Sekar and Ananda Badudu. The news came as surprise mainly because the duo have just released a new album this year called “Yang Patah Tumbuh, Yang Hilang Berganti”. The title of the album is now fit to describe the whole situation, has this album been prepared as a goodbye to the indie music scene? We’ll never know, but now, we want to reminiscence Banda Neira as a band that has graced our playlist and light up our days with their songs and performances.
Banda Neira started their journey in music scene rather unintentionally. Based on a lengthy post that they wrote on their blog, it is told that the two met on their campus, Parahyangan University Bandung and became close while joining the same student journalism club, Media Parahyangan. Without having a goal to form a band back then, they decided to record their early four materials in the studio during the course of 6 hours. Those four songs are “Di Atas Kapal Kertas”, “Ke Entah Berantah”, “Kau Keluhkan”, and “Rindu” (musicalization poetry of Subagio Sastrowardoyo). It resulted in an EP called “Di Paruh Waktu” which they uploaded to their Soundcloud account in 2012. Having no to little expectation about the record, Banda Neira were overwhelmed by the response they got from the listeners. They steadily built their careers as musicians by entering Indonesia’s indie music scene. Their folk pop music and imaginative themed songs have successfully charmed us.
The band whose name came from two beautiful islands in Maluku, were separated when they released their first EP. Rara Sekar was based in Bali while Ananda Badudu has a steady job as a journalist of a renown newspaper in Jakarta. Despite the shortcoming, due to the positive feedback they got from their first trial, they decided to record a full length album and added six more songs to the previous four tracks and released an album called “Berjalan Lebih Jauh” in 2013. The record was produced by Koperasi Keluarga Besar Mahasiswa Universitas Parahyangan (KKBM Unpar) and released via Sorge Records, an independent record label that was affiliated with Sorge Magazine, a web zine that was initiated by Unpar students. They also held a release party for this album which took place at Chinook Café Bandung and successfully sold all the records they were selling that day. From this moment on, the project got a lot more serious and they started to play in some gigs even though they were a little bit awkward on stage.
A lot of media starting from relatively small and independent one, to the giant outlet had started to put a lot of interest in the duo. They also ventured in collaborating with fellow musicians, starting from an encounter at Yogyakarta’s street coffee shop, they met Gardika Gigih Pratama and both had the same interest about rain. They initiated a project together that finally realized in several collaborative concerts called “Suara Awan” and “Kita Sama Sama Suka Hujan” in 2014 and 2015. The concerts feature Banda Neira, Gardika Gigih Pratama and Layur. In the course of one year, a lot of things were happening, Banda Neira started recording their second album while still having several gigs here and there. In 2016, they finally released their second full lenght album called “Yang Patah Tumbuh, Yang Hilang Berganti” and threw a little release party at PGP Café. During 2015 – 2016, Rara Sekar also had to go through several milestones in her life. She decided to settle down and marry her long-time boyfriend, while announcing that she would pursue her study abroad in New Zealand.
The decision ultimately had to push Banda Neira project on the back shelf, and they went on an indefinite hiatus. Staying lowkey and not revealing any future plans, on December 23rd the band announced their break up. Whether it’s due to geographical setback, or one thing or another, we, as fans and people who have followed their journey since the beginning could not help but feel saddened by the news. At the same time we’re also thankful for their music which is filled with imagination, hope, and political sentiments. Those songs help to bring awareness to the youth who would rather stay silent regarding political or social matters. We hope to retain the legacy of Banda Neira and keep spreading the music even though there is no longer Banda Neira. We both wish the best for Rara Sekar and Ananda Badudu! Read their statement on the image below.
Banda Neira discography :
- Di Paruh Waktu EP (2012) – Soundcloud
- Banda Neira Live EP (2012) – Soundcloud
- Berjalan Lebih Jauh (2013) via Sorge Records
- Yang Patah Tumbuh, Yang Hilang Berganti (2016) via Sorge Records
