FEMALE HEAVY ROCK TRIO VOICE OF BACEPROT SHATTER BOUNDARIES WITH ELECTRIFYING DEBUT ALBUM ‘RETAS’ OUT TODAY
Indonesian rock trio VOICE OF BACEPROT (VOB) embarked on a career in music despite many challenges being from a small village, Singajaya, three and a half hours away from the nearest venue in the city of Garut, West Java; having to build their own modest practice studio due to lack of music facilities; and face the stigmas and unsolicited suggestions regarding religion and decency directed at them due to being Muslim females who playing heavy rock/metal music and wearing of the hijab on stage. Instead of letting any of this discourage them, VOB’s have used these setbacks to develop a strong character which they’ve portrayed throughout their debut full-length album RETAS out today across all digital platforms via 12WIRED. Stream/download RETAS now at: https://li.sten.to/vob-retas.
Tickets are on sale now at https://www.voiceofbaceprot.com/tour. Full dates are as follows:
8/3 Los Angeles, CA – El Cid
8/5 Las Vegas, NV - Backstage Bar & Billiards
8/6 Pasadena, CA – Head In The Clouds Festival
8/8 Chicago, IL – Beat Kitchen
8/9 Detroit, MI – The Shelter
8/11 Pittsburgh, PA – Hard Rock Café
8/12 Boston, MA – The Middle East Downstairs
8/13 New York City, NY – Gramercy Theatre
8/15 Washington, DC – Union Stage
8/18 Oakland, CA – The New Parish
8/19 San Diego, CA – The Stage Room UCSD
In Bahasa Indonesia, “retas” translates to “a body of of igneous rocks that breaks through by cutting through other rocks." It epitomizes how the band see themselves and is collection of songs that embody their solid determination to break free and carve out their path as a band, as musicians, and as independent women.
"We have become rocks now,” shares vocalist/guitarist Marsya. “Hardened, rigid, and stiff due to all the doctrines in our minds. But through music and our friendship, we became fully aware that they must be cut through and broken regardless.”
With NTRL guitarist Coki Bollemeyer at the helm as producer for the newer songs on the album, RETAS comprises nine tracks, including album focus track “Age Oriented,” fan-favorite “What’s the Holy (Nobel) Today?” “The Enemy of Earth is You,” instrumental track “Kawani,” and four previous singles that they have released since 2018, including their breakthrough single “School Revolution” and the smash hit “God, Allow Me (Please) to Play Music”. See below for a full track-by-track breakdown.
"We really enjoyed making this album, thanks in no small part to Coki,” acknowledges Marsya. “His support and appreciation towards the hard work we put into the process have made a huge difference. It gave us the energy and confidence to give our very best.
“You must remember that we come from a village where many see women as inferior to men,” she explains. “After completing high school, we did not have a lot of options. It was either work at home or for a relative at a convenience store. Or marry someone our parents choose. More often than not, we were told it was ‘inappropriate and too soon’ and we ‘did not have enough experience’. There is a partiality towards age being the main benchmark to determine the merit of one’s artistic work. It meant the young must wait until they reach a certain age deemed worthy of independence to show their true potential.”
"We believe that an album is a quintessential representation of an artist's creative journey, a portfolio of their creative output,” shares bassist Widi. “If the singles we released felt like separate pieces of our collective unravelling anxiety, then Retas is the glue that melds them all together as a whole, like a knot of threads that loops their way around until they become a complete work of art. It is like a gallery where artworks are displayed in all their glory."
RETAS' tracks were split up between co-producer Stephan Santoso, Yuka Dian Narendra and Coki Bollemeyer along with vocal direction from Irvan Natadiningrat on select songs. Mixing was completed by Stephen Santoso and Tue Madsen while being mastered by Grammy Award-winner Howie Weinberg (Garbage, Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana). The album features stunning Sufism-inspired cover artwork illustrated by the prodigious Indonesian artist Dede Cipon.
VOB—Marsya (vocals & guitar), Widi (bass) and Sitti (drums)—will embark on their first-ever U.S. tour this August starting with a headlining show on August 3 in Los Angeles, CA at El Cid along with a featured set at Head In The Clouds Festival in Pasadena at at Brookside At The Rose Bowl. The trio will make their way to the East Coast and back wrapping up their final stop on August 19 in San Diego, CA at The Stage Room UCSD.