Review: Sal Priadi Aims for Girls’ Hearts with “Ikat Aku di Tulang Belikatmu”
Sal Priadi, soloist hailing from Malang seems to have found out the perfect formula to a girl’s heart. After revealing his sentimental debut single “Kultusan” which is a profession of longing to a woman, now he unveiled another number that is equally or even more charming than the first one. Titled “Ikat Aku di Tulang Belikatmu”, this single’s title alone raises questions in our part. Why would you tie someone up to your shoulder blade? We got a lot of medical and anatomical related questions to this title, but a poet should get a pass for this weird title right? Okay, moving on. This song sounds very grand from the very start. Sal utilizes his wide range of vocals from his low register up to his high pitch. This is definitely a hard song to tackle on a live session, but putting aside this concern, “Ikat Aku di Tulang Belikatmu” is a show stopper. While it is a difficult process to digest all the lyrics in one take, the alluring melodies make up for the lack of our understanding to the real meaning of this song. A grand orchestra with string section gives this song an edge that other pop song might lack, a ‘wow’ effect.
From the press release we received, the song is an ode to a woman he loves. We’re pretty sure that women all across Indonesia would eat this song up. The romantic vibe that this single gives, is enough to make anyone’s hearts melt. For guys, this song should be your new anthem for confessing your love and obsession towards a woman you love. Sal’s poetic and mysterious persona are also the additional formula that could drive his female listeners crazy. We could not wait to see the music video for this song, as the roman and grand vibe are a challenging material for a visual.
Furthermore about the music part of this song, if we strip down the song aside from its grand string section, this song feels more raw and soulful. The piano and Sal’s vocals alone are perfect for this song. We truly understand that the string section is added to add more ‘grand’ effect, but in some parts they sound more like a nuisance rather than impressive addition. It seems like “Kultusan” wins over this song for rawness. “Ikat Aku di Tulang Belikatmu” sounds befitting as a soundtrack for Hanung Bramantyo’s movie. Whether it’s a compliment or a critique, we give it up to you to interpret our sentence. The end of this song is a winner though. If Sal Priadi keeps churning out good songs on a streak, he’s up to the big league. Seeing how Organic Records are now managing him along with GZZ Records, we should be able to see a collaborations with his label mates like Maliq & D’essentials (hopefully soon). The record is available on digital platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and many more.
