JAKARTA - Alternative pop rock band from Jakarta, JUKE, officially marked their existence in the Indonesian music industry by launching their first mini album (EP) titled Inikah Cinta.
Through the latest work, the band, which has pioneered a career for more than a decade, is trying to revive the glory of the romantic pop rock music color of the 2000s era, which had dominated the Indonesian music market.
JUKE vocalist Jue revealed that the selection of the 2000s era music concept was based on the same love of all band members for the music formula at that time.
The music collective, which now consists of Jue, Wahyu, Adi, Rijal, Fatar, and Yani, considers that era to be the golden age for the national band industry with the birth of timeless works.
"So actually we are more into the pop era of the 2000s, because we think the music of that era is very phenomenal, many bands at that time released albums, and also released singles, it must be hits," said Jue during a press conference for the release of the first EP at Mangga Besar, West Jakarta, Wednesday, July 15.
Jue added that their music color was heavily influenced by the big bands that dominated the charts in that era, such as Peterpan, d'Masiv, and Nidji. However, JUKE still injects its own identity so that their music character remains fresh and relevant for today's generation of listeners.
The EP "Inikah Cinta" summarizes six tracks that highlight the power of simple lyrics but are full of emotions. All the material in this album is taken from the personal experiences of the vocalist who was then developed together by all the band members.
A minimalist arrangement approach is deliberately chosen so that the message from each song can be conveyed well and build emotional closeness with the listener.
The song, which is similar to his album, "Inikah Cinta", highlights a simple romance story about a man's courage in expressing his feelings to a woman he met at a crossroads.
Meanwhile, the other five tracks such as "Saat-Saat Bersamamu", "Waktu Berlalu", "Pergilah", "Hijrah", and "Cerita Kita" also complement the dynamics of narratives about love, loss, family, and hope that are very close to people's daily lives.
"The songs we present, on average, carry themes that relate to our daily lives," added the vocalist.
The journey of JUKE towards the release of this EP is quite long. Starting from a project together in a rented house in Pondok Gede in 2011, this format transformed into a complete band in 2018.
After going through the phases of ebb and flow and changing formations, they finally managed to lock in the best and solid chemistry in 2025.
After officially releasing this first mini album to the market, JUKE is immediately preparing to greet its listeners directly through a series of performances.
"After this, yes, God willing, we will go on tour. We try to open our Spotify, our listeners are more in Bandung and in Surabaya. Maybe later we will explore there even closer," concluded Jue.
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