How Strong Is Criticism In The Song Sukatani? This Is What Music Observers Say

JAKARTA - The punk duo from Purbalingga, Sukatani is in the spotlight after the apology and withdrawal of the song 'Pay Pay' which contains criticism of police officers a few days ago.

The response given to Sukatani was huge. The movement of the hashtag with Sukatani appeared on social media. Not to mention, six members of the Directorate of Cyber Investigation of the Central Java Police must be examined by the Police Propam Division for alleged intimidation of two Sukatani personnel, Novi Citra Indriyati alias Twister Angel (vocals) and Muhammad Syifa Al Lutfi alias Alectroguy (guitar).

The big question that arises is: how hard is Sukatani's criticism in the song 'Pay Pay', so it has to cause a commotion like today?

Answering the question, music observer Mudya Mustam said that criticism of the government or authorities is common in many bands that carry punk music such as Sukatani.

"Despite the excitement of the 'pembredelnya' case, the song 'Pay Pay' is actually normal if the context is in the realm of punk," Mudya said via text message to VOI, Monday, February 24.

"If you look at its history, punk is very synonymous with anti-capacity messages, including criticism of the government / power. And Sukatani, are heavily influenced by the punk attitude in its performance and music review," he continued.

Criticism of the authorities, said Mudya, is one of the main contents or main topics in the realm of punk music. Therefore, there will be so many songs from the realm of punk music, as well as rock and metal, which voice strong protests over the socio-political conditions that are considered unnatural.

"And if you talk in the context of music, you could say punk is also part of rock derivatives, and it also affects the development of metal music. Likewise in terms of lyrics," said Mudya.

"You don't have to go far, in the realm of rock in the country, we have been shocked by loud lyrics from musicians such as Iwan Fals and Swami. That is what managed to penetrate the mainstream realm. In the realm of punk underground (underground), there are more punk carriers (with all kinds of derivatives - including Sukatani) who shout lyrics of protests and loudness," he continued.

In the scope of the underground, apart from punk, there are also sub-genres such as hardcore and grindcore, which are also identical to expressing harsh and vulgar lyrics.

Furthermore, Mudya sees music as a means to channel expressions, including conveying feelings, anxiety, and so on.

Feelings and anxiety expressed through music are not only problems of romance, friendship, natural conditions, and war that exist everywhere, but also problems of injustice or the reality of life that are considered lame due to the actions of fellow humans and by the government or authorities.

Through music, audiences digest messages through lyrics, because it is conveyed through a tone that is liked by many people (according to the audience of each genre). The segmentation is wider than speech or poetry," concluded Mudya.