Folk Singer, Oscar Lolang Launches Debut Album, “Drowning in a Shallow Water”
Oscar Lolang captivated us when he first appeared “Eastern Man” and since then, the man has graced various stages in his own turf, Jakarta as well as Bandung and beyond. He went on revealing several EPs on the way and on 15 September 2017, he put on a small showcase at Toko Misteri to launch his first full-length album. Titled “Drowning in a Shallow Water”, the album was released after an initial limited copies Karma Records issued back in August. “If I liken this world as an ocean, then I’m like on a shallow surface. I sometimes thought I can move freely, but I can’t. I’m still drowning,” explains Oscar Lolang about the philosophy of the album. His debut album contains 10 songs and it explore various social issues across Indonesia. Of course in folk music arrangement a la Oscar Lolang, which is heavily influenced by notable folk musicians like Nick Drake, Bob Dylan, and Simon & Garfunkel.
“Drowning in a Shallow Water” will be released digitally on several digital streaming services like iTunes, Apple Music, and Spotify. In the mean time, if you’re a fan of physical records, then this album is also available on record stores nearby if you can’t wait for its digital version. Besides previously revealed songs like “Clouds of Jakarta” and “Eastern Man”, you could also get seven new songs from Oscar as well as one live song called “Kumbaya” which was recorded during “Epilogue” showcase. “Unwanted Temple” talks about a historical site dispute in West Java, while “Mr. Othar’s Vacation Blues” is about the difficulties of traveling to Papua. A tour to promote this album is currently in the work under Karma Records in collaboration with Microgram Entertainment.
“Drowning in a Shallow Water” Tracklist
I. The Rain Was – a fallin hardin vain
II. a Bosnian & a Brazilian
III. Unwanted Temple
IV. Mr. Othar’s Vacation Blues
V. Eastern Man’
VI. Yellow Moon
VII. Clouds of Jakarta
VIII. Green Man
IX. Travelin
X. Kumbaya (live)
