INDONESIAN ROCK TRIO

VOICE OF BACEPROT

PROTEST AGAINST INDIFFERENCE TO CLIMATE CHANGE

IN NEW SINGLE

“THE ENEMY OF EARTH IS YOU”

FROM DEBUT ALBUM

‘RETAS’

DUE IN JULY

BAND JOIN ‘MUSIC DECLARES EMERGENCY (MDE),’

A GLOBAL GROUP OF ARTISTS, MUSIC INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS AND ORGANISATIONS THAT STAND TOGETHER TO DECLARE A CLIMATE AND ECOLOGICAL EMERGENCY

Indonesian all-girl rock trio VOICE OF BACEPROT (VOB) have come forward with a galvanizing new single, “The Enemy Of Earth Is You,” a call-to-action protest anthem against indifference to climate change. In 2016 several natural disasters wreaked havoc across Indonesia—no less than 1,985 happened, breaking a 10-year record of the most natural disasters ever occurring in a calendar year. One of the most devastating of them was the flash floods that swept the regency of Garut in West Java.

Born and raised in a small village called Singajaya (found at the foot of a mountain in one corner of Garut), the band members were not directly affected, but the floods deeply emotionally impacted vocalist/guitarist Marsya, bassist Widi, and drummer Sitti, inspiring them to write “The Enemy Of Earth Is You.” The single expresses their broken hearts and agony following the above events.

Taken from their much-anticipated debut album RETAS due in July (exact date tba), “The Enemy Of Earth Is You” is available now at your preferred digital streaming platform HERE and can also be heard streaming below.

Coinciding with the release of “The Enemy Of Earth Is You,” VOB have aligned themselves with over 6,600 musicians and music industry workers worldwide by joining Music Declares Emergency (MDE), a global movement bringing together musicians, music industry professionals, and organisations to use music as a means for raising public awareness about climate issues and the protection of life on Earth. With their NO MUSIC ON A DEAD PLANET campaign, MDE have garnered support from some of the world’s most renowned artists and bands, including Billie Eilish, Arcade Fire, The 1975, Imogen Heap, Fatboy Slim, Major Lazer, and Tom Morello.

In the aftermath of the flood and natural disasters, Marsya recalls: “At that moment, we came to think humans are the real Earth’s chief antagonists. We are the most foolish and gullible, spending our time synthesising and justifying all kinds of greed by destroying the world. We are the ones who have been ineptly killing ourselves!”

“It is a song that summarises our loathing towards anyone who becomes an enemy of the Earth,” she adds.” On the flip side, the single reminds us not to turn into one of them.”

With the help of producer and NTRL guitarist Coki Bollemeyer, VOB set about rearranging the song’s rhythm flow, initially based on some of the most prevalent nu-metal riffs from the late nineties and early noughties, to assert their collective anxiety and fury. The result is a composition articulating a sense of sadness yet wrapped in VOB’s trademark ferocious sound.

RETAS Album Cover Artwork

ABOUT VOICE OF BACEPROT

VOICE OF BACEPROT (pronounced ‘bah-che-prot’) formed in Garut, West Java in 2014. Consisting of Firdda “Marsya” Kurnia (age 22) on vocals and guitar, Widi Rahmawati (age 21) on bass, and Euis “Sitti” Aisyah (age 22) on drums, the word “baceprot” from their band name comes from the Sundanese language meaning “noisy”. It was chosen to represent the style of music that they play.

VOB began to turn heads when a video of them performing a cover of a song by Rage Against The Machine in 2015 became popular on YouTube. The three-piece continued to produce more videos of them covering songs by their idols, including Red Hot Chili Peppers, Metallica, and Slipknot, which garnered even more attention from both local and international media, and they quickly went viral.

Besides their obvious prodigious musical talent, it was also the unique and contradictory combination of heavy rock/metal music and their wearing of the hijab on stage that caught the eye of media from across the globe. The trio, who are all Muslims, have faced opposition from conservative Muslims, in their hometown of Garut. They sing in English language as well as Bahasa Indonesia and Sundanese, which has gained them a worldly fanbase outside Indonesia.

In 2018, VOB signed a deal with Jakarta-based booking agency Amity Asia. Not long after, they released their long-awaited self-written debut single “School Revolution.” Produced by Stephan Santoso–who also plays the guitar for Musikimia–the single propelled them to international stardom. They were personally invited by legendary guitarist Slash to meet him backstage when Guns N’ Roses held a concert at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta in November 2018. Further confirmation of their burgeoning reputation came via personal shout-outs from their idols Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello and Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea on social media, along with Living Colour guitarist Vernon Reid. Shortly after they graduated from high school at Muslim Senior High School Madrasah Aliyah in 2020, Marsya, Sitti, and Widi relocated to Jakarta with the support from their new management agency, 12WIRED.

After several years of blood, sweat, and tears, VOB are set to unveil their greatest work yet in July 2023: debut album RETAS.

Find more on VOICE OF BACEPROT online here:

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