Track Of The Day Strange Fruit
Although we’ve featured several bands from Indonesia’s vibrant music scene in recent years, we’ve never come across the Jakarta-based unit Strange Fruit, which belongs to a previous generation.
The group’s origins date back to 2012, when, while starting with a classic, noisy Shoegaze sound, they made themselves known for a strong penchant for experimentation and manipulation of sonic textures. Listening to the title track of their last 2015 EP, “The Dolphin Leap”, clearly reveals their fascination for Krautrock reiterations and Cosmic travels.
After a decade-long search for a new artistic identity and several lineup changes, the band, led by the only original member, the cultured vocalist Baldi Calvianca, is reborn through the rejuvenating sonics of the forthcoming new EP “Drips”, due out this Spring via Gentle Tuesday Recordings, embracing Acid House, Kosmische, Ambient, and Leftfield influences.
The first excerpt, the ebb and flowing six-minute-long “Iridescent”, described by the group’s synthesist Irza Aryadiaz as “electrifying yet weightless”, imbued with “’90s UK House, Krautrock-Disco, and avant-pop inspirations”, flavored by Baggy, Screamadelica, and Weatherall-esque vibes.
A slow-mo, meandering, acid-dusted, kaleidoscopic jam that unrolls on the in-depth wrapping of shivering, glowing synths, off-beat, crashing drum hits, and an obsessive, wistful jangly bass loop, along with sad, choppy tired vocals, basked in a wash of loose, airy ecstasy, longing to be taken away for soul healing by a floating layer of endless entrancing space-out vibes through crispier, propulsive percussive grooves, hypnotic tinkly plucked tones, broody guitar chords, and trippy acidic swirls, building toward a rapture of blissful bittersweet nostalgia.
Strange Fruit‘s upcoming new EP, “Drips”, featuring four new tracks and five remixes from Jonathan Kusuma, Sean Johnston (Hardway Bros), and Tom Furse, is slated for release on March 26, 2026, via Gentle Tuesday Recordings.
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