Crayola Eyes | Interview | New Album, ‘Gushing’
Indonesian outfit Crayola Eyes recently signed to London-based label Fuzz Club. Their debut album ‘Gushing,’ originally released digitally back in February 2023, is now available on vinyl for the first time.
Behind their reverb-drenched pop/psychedelia, Crayola Eyes are a Jakarta-based six-piece consisting of vocalist and tambourine-shaker Reno Nismara, guitarists Kendra Ahimsa (aka the highly sought-after artist/designer Ardneinstaks) and Bayu Andrianto, bassist Aditya Hadisusanto, keyboardist Anindya Anugrah, and drummer Ferry Prakarsa. On the signing and ‘Gushing’ vinyl release, the band said: “We’re beyond ecstatic to finally share the news that we have joined the Fuzz Club Records family. Safe to say, we’re part of THE club now; in the company of legendary and emerging artists from around the world that we’re fans of throughout the years. First order of business: we’ll be releasing our full-length debut album, ‘Gushing,’ in physical format for the first-time ever through the label. We’ve been wanting to put it out on vinyl and we’re so glad that Fuzz Club Records is the one doing it. Couldn’t ask for more.”
As the title suggests, ‘Gushing’ is intended to capture the band’s nature in creating and delivering songs without compromise and restraint. It can also be seen as a manifestation of their stance to be in control of their own music, to create what they want to create. The result – co-produced with Bernardus Fritz – is an album of varying styles yet still bonded by Crayola Eyes’ fundamental particularity, which makes for an authentic creation that can be enjoyed by everyone.
“A trip to the sinister outskirts of late ‘60s psychedelia”
Are you all coming from Jakarta, Indonesia?
Reno Nismara: Yes, I was born and bred in Jakarta. Although I studied in Bandung — a smaller city located in West Java, about three hours from Jakarta if you went by car — for my university days. Then, after I graduated, I returned to Jakarta where I’m staying up to now; and where Crayola Eyes were formed.
Ferry Prakarsa: I was born in Jakarta, but actually went to live in other cities and countries since I was in kindergarten until my mid 20s. I have spent my childhood in Medan, Surabaya, and returned to Jakarta just before junior high and spent my high school here. Then, I moved to London for four years during college and university, and had a detour in Singapore for one year before I went back to Jakarta, where I met Reno and Kendra not long after my return.
Bayu Andrianto: Hello, guys. Nice to meet you. I originally came from Bandung, West Java, 184 km from Jakarta, then I had to move to Jakarta due to my work.
How did you originally get interested in music and when did you get into alternative / psychedelic rock music?
Ferry: Growing up with MTV in their prime era.
Bayu: When I listened to Pink Floyd’s ‘The Piper at the Gates of Dawn’.
Reno: Music has always been present since I was a child. My dad once told me that I used to dance to Peter Gabriel’s ‘Digging in the Dirt’ whenever he played it. I didn’t remember it, but when I played that song right after he told me the story, the song was really familiar to my ears. So, it must’ve been a true story. Then, I grew up and I gradually have songs that are my own instead of something that was passed by my parents or my older sibling. It started with Blur, Oasis, Pulp, Nirvana, Sonic Youth, all those kinds of things. Then, I discovered The Velvet Underground, which became my favourite band of all time and shaped my taste and reference in music afterwards, even up to now.
“Indonesia has a really exciting music scene with very diverse types of music”
I’m guessing there aren’t a lot of bands playing this kind of music back home? What are perhaps some that I would like to mention?
Reno: In terms of local bands that play similar music as us, my personal favourites include Negative Lovers and Heals (we even asked both bands to perform as opening acts for the showcase of ‘Gushing’ last July), and also It’s Different Class, Sigmun, Fuzzy I, Future Collective, AGGI, and Seek Six Sick. Yes, there aren’t many bands here that play this kind of music, but I genuinely think that Indonesia has a really exciting music scene with very diverse types of music. It deserves a lot more recognition, personally.
Ferry: Negative Lovers is one name that came to my mind, I think they have influenced us as well. Tony (Negative Lovers’ vocalist) has just formed a new band with ‘Gushing’ co-producer, Fritz, called Asian Express. Yes, the band name sounds like a joke, but they do some serious stuff there.
Bayu: Lain, Zeke and the Popo, Sugarstar, Seaside, and Jellybelly are my favourites.
Indonesia had a really wild 70s scene with so many different bands experimenting with psych, prog and hard rock. Now-Again Records issued a fantastic compilation ‘Those Shocking Shaking Days. Indonesian Hard, Psychedelic, Progressive Rock And Funk: 1970 – 1978’ that features some of those bands. Were you familiar with those bands? What are some of the most important bands coming from your country in your opinion?
Ferry: In my opinion, ‘Those Shocking Shaking Days’ is a breakthrough. During the release, record collectors and shops in Indonesia, or perhaps in Jakarta, were not as many as today. This brings the appreciation of what has been done by Indonesian musicians from the past, which is great. Interesting story is that the guy who helped curate this compilation, and wrote the liner notes, is now a restaurateur in Jakarta. You should also listen to Sore’s ‘Ports of Lima’ which I think is a great album from the late 2000s.
Reno: Yes, it was and still is an influential release. It can be seen as an introduction for the western world about all the great bands that we have in Indonesia throughout the years. One of my favourite Indonesian albums of all-time is by The Rollies — their self-titled one, released in 1972 — who have a song on ‘Those Shocking Shaking Days’ called ‘Bad News’. Black Brothers, who also have a song on the compilation, are also important. Not just because they’ve released some of the funkiest psych grooves here, but also because they came from Papua, the easternmost province in Indonesia still fighting for independence. It still suffers from human rights abuses, military oppression, environmental devastation, and poverty due to its history of resource exploitation. There was also Dara Puspita. They’re not on ‘Those Shocking Shaking Days,’ but they are fucking legends. The best and most badass garage girl group in Indonesia, even the world. Just listen to ‘Pesta Pak Lurah’ if you don’t believe me.
Were you in any other bands or had a project before forming Crayola Eyes?
Reno: Crayola Eyes are my first serious band. Meaning, we actually write and release original songs. Prior to this, I was in highschool and college bands — covering everything from Pink Floyd to Broken Social Scene — just as a pastime.
Ferry: When I joined Crayola Eyes in 2013, I was actually playing in another band with a totally different style. It was called F.O.C. and we played psychedelic instrumentalia with some funk/jazz touch. Around the same period, I also played as an additional drummer for Sunmantra during their early years. So, I juggled between bands and schedules for about two years and when I had to choose, you know my answer.
Bayu: Before I joined Crayola Eyes, I formed a psych quartet named Napolleon in my college days. Reno asked me to join Crayola Eyes because he knew that my band was, and still is, inactive.
When did you form? Tell us about the formation and overall vision you have in the band.
Reno: Our first gig as Crayola Eyes was on July 10, 2012. Not too long after I came up with that name. Before coming up with the name Crayola Eyes, we changed our name every time we performed and there were rotating band members. Kendra and I are the only original members left. Then drummer Ferry Prakarsa, guitarist Bayu Andrianto, bassist Aditya Hadisusanto, and keyboardist Anindya Anugrah joined respectively; shaping the current formation which I hope can last a lifetime. The band’s overall vision is to create music that we ourselves want to hear. If our songs appear on the radio or get recommended by the mighty algorithm, we want to keep on listening to it instead of changing it. Simply put, we want to play music that we like, that we understand, because if not, then we would be lying to ourselves, wouldn’t we?
When did you decide that you wanted to start writing and performing your own music? What brought that about for you?
Ferry: It came naturally when you started to play music.
Reno: Listening to music since my early age, I guess it was always a dream of mine to write my own music and perform it in front of people. At first, I thought it was just a way for me to imitate my favourite musicians, how they look very cool and well-dressed when performing their own songs on stage. I realised later that it’s actually a way for me to reach likeminded people, who may have similar sensibilities as me and be represented by the songs. Not gonna lie, it feels great when people can feel connected to your songs.
‘Gushing’ is your debut album out via Fuzz Club. It must be exciting to have such a fantastic label being involved with you?
Reno: The fact that they were interested in signing us is, in itself, very exciting. I mean, a record label with rosters that include many of our influences, from The Jesus & Mary Chain, Alan Vega, The Black Angels, to The Telescopes, told us that they wanted to represent us. What’s not exciting about that? Plus, they moved really swiftly and tried to be as accommodating as possible in order to be able to release Gushing on vinyl before the year ends. We felt really appreciated and we thank them for that.
What’s the story behind the name “Crayola Eyes?” I just love it…
Reno: The “Crayola” part is inspired by The Red Crayola, an experimental band formed in the late ‘60s. I felt like the word “Crayola,” which came from the crayon brand, can represent many colours at once instead of just mentioning one colour in our name (no offence to The Black Angels, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, White Fence, The White Stripes, Pink Floyd, et cetera). The colours here can refer to Crayola Eyes music, which we hope can be continually variative, or the many influences that ultimately shape our music.
While the “Eyes” part is inspired by the cover of The 13th Floor Elevators’ debut album, an influential psych band from the late ‘60s. The cover captures the magic of seeing in such a distinctive way that I’m almost always stopped in my tracks every time I encounter the album in a record store.
Combined, “Crayola Eyes” doesn’t really mean anything, but, personally, I think it reflects our music well.
“A band is a melting pot of its members’ inputs and references”
Can you share some further words about the recording process? How do you usually approach music making?
Reno: From my perspective, a band is a melting pot of its members’ inputs and references, how each of them build on their roles within the band. So, it can be more or less like doing a collage of inspirations. It could start from a guitar line, in which Kendra or Bayu imbue a particular reference, and the others will build upon it like glueing things together. At least, that was how we created the songs in Gushing. Perhaps we’ll try a different method for our next album, who knows?
How important is improvisation for you?
Ferry: It’s important to be simple and give my bandmates the space to explore together. Does that count as improvisation?
Do you often play live?
Ferry: On average, we play about once a month.
What are some future plans?
Reno: If we’re talking short term, then it’s to make ‘Gushing’ vinyl available in our hometown and celebrate its release. If we’re talking long term, then it’s to go wherever the album takes us and to start writing new songs for our follow-up album.
Let’s end this interview with some of your favourite albums. Have you found something new lately you would like to recommend to our readers?
Ferry: I’ve been listening to a lot of Ghost Funk Orchestra lately, thanks to Reno.
Reno: I think Fuzz Club has released some great albums this year, such as Daiistar’s ‘Good Time,’ The Black Delta Movement’s ‘Recovery Effects,’ and The Vacant Lots’ ‘Interiors’. Aside from those, my heavy rotation throughout this year also include Lol Tolhurst, Budgie, and Jacknife Lee’s Los Angeles, EXEK’s ‘The Map and the Territory’ (‘It’s Just a Flesh Wound, Darling’ is a strong candidate for track of the year, personally), Comité Hypnotisé’s ‘Danza Del Piri-piri,’ Nabihah Iqbal’s ‘DREAMER,’ and Blonde Redhead’s ‘Sit Down for Dinner’.
Thank you. Last word is yours.
Reno: Land on your own moon.
Klemen Breznikar
Crayola Eyes Instagram / Bandcamp / YouTube
Fuzz Club Official Website / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / Bandcamp / YouTube
