Lightcraft Gets Ikkubaru In An Explorative Composition, Tell Me

JAKARTA - The lighting again greets listeners through a new single entitled "Tell Me ( ikkubarufeat)", which was released on November 6 yesterday. Showing the calm style of Muhammad Iqbal, vocalist and guitarist of ikkubaru (which produced this song and gave a magical touch to guitars, keyboards, and synthesizers), this single offers a rich pairing between city pop and deep house.

This composition also presents the depth of the emotional side that can be the soundtrack of life, or at least for a dramatic film scene full of emotional upheaval.

Beautified by backing vocals from his beloved wife from Iqbal, Mirna Nurmala, this song should be a polished self-assignment with such slickness. Inspired by the small conversation of lightcraft vocalist Imam Suriaruna, with a friend during a conference abroad, "Tell Me" reflects Imam's inner struggle over anxiety and fear over anything that might lead to a mess.

The title "Tell Me" is like a request for certainty, a call for coverage in the midst of uncertainty. The lyrics that sound like begging so much, asking to be convinced "It's okay to be all right", will most likely feel common to anyone who has ever lived a life full of doubt (perhaps, almost all of us?).

I had a long chat with my friend, and the conversation went quite deep. Every detail was ringing on my head for a long time, until I realized that the core of it was exactly like the incredible anxiety I was still experiencing," said Imam. "I always doubt myself, but all I need is someone to just convince me that everything will be fine," explained the lightcraft in a written statement.

Collaboration with ikkubaru is not a coincidence. Iqbal and his band have shared quite a lot of stage with the lightcraft. And yes, they even appeared at Imam's wedding. So, it's natural that Imam could easily ask Iqbal if he was willing to produce a lightcraft song. Iqbal chose a song previously called "New Song Idea 25" (in fact creative, right?) from a collection of demonstrations, because the song seemed to speak to him. And the "Tell Me" was born.

This is a challenge I want. Combining the style of writing my songs with their music, said Iqbal. "When I listen to their demos, the first thing I noticed was key progression. 'Tell Me' is simple enough, so there is a lot of room to experiment. We share ideas to the stage where we can improve the quality of our respective music."

The song is mastered by a master engineer from the Philippines, Miguel Lim, in Cebu, who also worked on a previous single lightcraft, "Coming Home (Chessia Dawn & Coloura feat)." "Tell Me" feels much different from their previous works, showing the identity of a band that is not afraid to continue to evolve and encourages their own boundaries in order to produce something fresh and interesting in every release.

"We were so enthusiastic when we heard the initial version that Iqbal sent. It felt like we were in a bond of harmony with each other, as well as our musical direction," added guitarist Fari Febrian.

This new single fits the return of the lightcraft to Japan in the last month, where they last performed a tour in 2019. Featuring "Tell Me" at their Tokyo and M Festival 2024 performances, they got a tremendous response from the audience there. This collaboration even makes more sense because the practical ikkubaru is blue blood on the Japanese city-pop scene.

A fashionable music video accompanies the release of this single, which was recorded and directed by their old collaborator, Reksa Fajar, at Studio Dikala. Paying tribute to the iconic performances of Spandau Ballet and Simple Minds, this video features lightcraft and Iqbal with an intimate, almost narrow setting even. This video begins with showing the form of their anxiety, which leads to a joy full of happiness in the second half of the song.