By Zim Ahmadi
Balladry has been in the DNA of Spooky Wet Dreams since their 2018 album debut Koleksi Dendangan Untuk Masa Hadapan. The band’s marriage of in-your-face socio-political commentary and a strong command of quiet-loud dynamics made Koleksi Dendangan work as a concept album about Malaysia’s contemporaneous election tumult.
With “Seru”, Spooky Wet Dreams have refined their ability to convey emotional profundity through subtlety. The first single from their upcoming album Dewa Kotaraya, “Seru” is a pop ballad about urban exhaustion, its declaratory statements—which border on being outright pleas—and piano backing perfectly capturing urban purgatory and all that comes with it: body aches, hopelessness, and loneliness.
These aren’t the most novel themes in music. But “Seru” is a nice addition to the collection of music in my head that offers a Malaysian take—sometimes melancholic, other times scathing—on The City and Modernity as adversary. See “Burning Out” by OJ Law or lurkgurl’s 2021 album Infinity Field.
“Seru” marks an added maturity to Spooky Wet Dreams’ sound, and might foreshadow a more eclectic sound on Dewa Kotaraya: “There may be a disco song coming up in our new album”, according to vocalist Ze. “[We’ve] been meaning to write one since our first EP”.
We’ll find out when Dewa Kotaraya releases sometime in the second quarter of 2022. In the meantime, if you’re into piano ballads with a dash of whimpering hope, “Seru” calls for your company.
- Country: Malaysia
- Label: Self-released
- Year: 2022
