Torkis Waladan and Maulana Akbar from Ultraviolence.
Lately, things have been tough for us music lovers.Last month, Canadian’s genius trio Rush announced the band is "basically done." Trash metal giants Slayer is disbanding after its last tour this year. Last week, Indonesia lost Yockie Suryo Prayogo, a legend, to health complications.Things don’t seem to get any brighter this February. After reviewing singles from Deathwords and Beeswax which are all doom and gloom lyrically, I came across “Pure,” a dark single from Ultraviolence, a post-punk/coldwave band from Malang. At this point, I've come to terms with the fact that the Malang music scene is saturated with glum musicians.“Pure” is a textbook definition of minimalism. The formula is simple: a static drum machine, punchy bass lines, and strains of synths. And of course, no dark post-punk is complete without Ian Curtis-esque vocals. Compared to their first EP, Sport And Celebrity Gossip, the duo seems to have moved away from their older, more danceable sound. “Pure” is a cold post-punk tune—colder than Malang’s weather.I honestly still don’t know what “Pure” is about. However, I feel like Ultraviolence could write all kinds of misery and it will fit their music just fine. Next, I think they should write about rising living costs, failed Tinder dates, or the inescapable loneliness under neoliberalism and how robots are taking away our jobs.“Pure” is distributed by Gerpfast Kolektif.