Crayon Case, an indie band from Indonesia, composed of three young people who have never met in person, released their debut EP “Catch Twenty-three!!" in May 2024. With shimmering guitar noise intertwined with the sentiments of youth, they embrace the uncertainty of the future. We are very pleased to invite them for an interview to share their creative process and musical stories, allowing everyone to gain a deeper understanding of the new generation of Indonesian bands and their voices.
來自印尼的獨立樂隊Crayon Case，由三位素未謀面的年青人組成，2024年5月發表首張EP《Catch Twenty-three!!》，以閃耀的結他噪音交織出青春的心境，擁抱對未來不可捉摸的迷茫。這次很高興能邀請他們進行訪問，分享樂隊的創作過程和音樂故事，讓大家更深入地了解印尼新世代樂隊的風貌與心聲。
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Crayon Case are :
Aiden – vocals, guitar, bass, and MIDI programming
fein – vocals
Suara – keyboards and occasional bass
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【Interview with Indonesian indie band Crayon Case 】
【印尼獨立樂團 Crayon Case 專訪 】
Q1. Can you tell us about the formation of the band and the origin of the band name?
可以跟我們介紹一下樂隊的組成經過及樂團名稱的由來嗎？
> Well, Crayon Case isn’t really a band in the traditional sense because we never even met in person. When it was first formed, it was supposed to be a one time thing. Aiden and fein first met online through online music communities and decided to work together on the debut single “Gravits”. We chose the name “Crayon Case” because Suara and Aiden were fans of Solanin, where the main characters’ band was called Rotti. We wanted something that sounds similarly playful so we settled on Crayon Case, and fein also happens to like the name as it alludes to the various colours of crayons that can be reflected in our music. As of now, we’re sticking to communicating online. Perhaps in the future, we’ll meet up if the stars align perfectly.
> Crayon Case並不是傳統意義上的樂隊，因為我們從未在現實中見面過。最初成立時，其實是打算只做一次的事情。Aiden和fein最初是通過網上音樂社區相識，並決定合作製作首支單曲 “Gravits”。我們選擇了 “Crayon Case” 這個名字，因為Suara和Aiden都是《樂與路 Solanin》的粉絲，而那部作品中主角的樂隊叫做Rotti。我們想要一個聽起來同樣有趣的名字，所以決定用Crayon Case，而fein也正好喜歡這個名字，因為它暗示著蠟筆的各種顏色，可以反映在我們的音樂中。目前，我們仍然保持在線上溝通。也許將來，如果時機合適，我們會有機會見面的。
Q2. Listening to your music, I can feel the emotion of youth. Can you share with us the concept and theme behind “Catch Twenty-three!!"?
當我聽著你們的音樂時，能感受到青春的情感。你們能分享一下《Catch Twenty-three!!》的概念和主題嗎？
> Indeed, it was about the feeling of youth navigating life. The concept and theme of the EP are reflected in its name—it’s about being in your twenties, facing doubts, and not knowing where life will take you. Despite that uncertainty, you embrace those emotions and try to cherish the passing time and the process, as it’s a valuable thing you can neither rewind nor relive, even if the journey is sometimes riddled with uncertainty and heartache. Alternatively, the title “Twenty-three” also refers to the fact that we started in 2023.
> 的確，這是關於年青人在生活中摸索的感受。這張EP的概念和主題反映在名字上——這是關於身處二十多歲時的經歷，面對疑惑，不知道生活將帶領你走向何方。儘管存在著不確定性，你仍然擁抱這些情感，並試著珍惜流逝的時間和過程，因為這是一件無法倒帶或重溫的寶貴事情，即使這段旅程有時充滿不確定性和心痛。此外，標題“Twenty-three” 也指的是我們在2023年開始創作。
Q3. Where do you get the inspiration for your songs? Is making music a way to express your inner feelings?
你們的歌曲靈感來自哪裡？創作音樂是表達內心感受的一種方式嗎？
> We draw inspiration from various sources, including personal experiences and external influences, such as the music we listen to. To gather ideas, we use a collaborative playlist that everyone contributes to. While our music isn’t always strictly focused on inner feelings, it always ties itself into that direction somehow. For instance, when fein wrote parts of “because,” she was expressing the feeling of trying to catch up with time, as she was running out of time to finish her thesis. On the other hand, “Gravits” was written spontaneously on a Saturday out of boredom, but still pertains to a break up story of Aiden.
>我們從各種來源中汲取靈感，包括個人經歷和外部影響，例如我們聆聽的音樂。為了收集想法，我們使用了一個每個人都可以參與的協作播放列表。雖然我們的音樂並不總是嚴格聚焦於內心感受，但總是以某種方式與這個方向相連。例如，當fein寫 “because,” 的部分時，她表達了試圖趕上時間的感受，因為她快要沒時間完成論文了。另一方面，“Gravits” 是在一個星期六出於無聊而寫成的，但仍然與 Aiden 的分手故事有關。
Q4. Your songs and album cover remind me of the Japanese band Supercar. Are you fans of Supercar? If so, why do you like them and how do they influence your work?
你們的歌曲和專輯封面讓我想起日本樂隊 Supercar。你們是 Supercar 的粉絲嗎？如果是的話，為什麼喜歡他們，他們如何影響你們的作品？
> Yes! We love the abrasive tone of their early music while still retaining accessible pop sensibilities. Besides, their music appeals to youth like us, don’t they? We see our EP cover as a tribute to their music. Musically, we’re obviously inspired by much of their sound, but we take heavier inspiration from older local music.
>是的！我們喜歡他們早期音樂的粗獷音色，同時又保留了易於接近的流行感。此外，他們的音樂對我們這樣的年輕人很有吸引力，不是嗎？我們視 EP 的封面為對他們音樂的致敬。在音樂上，我們顯然受到他們音色的啟發，但我們更多地受到本地舊音樂的影響。
Q5. What do you think of Shoegaze as a music style?
你們對Shoegaze這種音樂風格有什麼看法？
> We think Shoegaze is one of the greatest things to ever happen to guitar-centered music. We love that it lets us make noisy music while still sounding pretty at the same time. We also love how Shoegaze allows us to create diverse textures with the electric guitar and a few stompboxes. It’s one of the more niche genres in music, so it’s nice to see the style making a resurgence recently. We know from people who’ve listened to our music that we’re somewhat Shoegaze, but we plan to explore or mix other kinds of music in the future.
> 我們認為Shoegaze是結他音樂中最偉大的事物之一。我們喜歡它，讓我們能夠創作出嘈雜的音樂，同時聽起來很美妙。我們也喜歡Shoegaze讓我們能夠用電結他和一直效果器創造多樣的音色。這是一種相對小眾的音樂類型，因此最近看到這種風格的復甦讓人感到高興。從聽過我們音樂的人那裡知道，我們多少有點Shoegaze風格，但我們計劃在未來探索或混合其他類型的音樂。
Q6. What do you think of the Indonesian indie music scene? How do you think the environment you live in affects your work and sound?
印尼的獨立音樂場景是怎樣的？你認為所處的環境如何影響你們的創作和音樂風格？
> We believe that the Indonesian indie music scene is currently experiencing some sort of renaissance, particularly in indie rock. This can be seen in the rising trend of thrifting culture, which is closely associated with “Skena” (Indonesian for “scene”) which is what we call the alternative culture here. With the growing popularity of DIY-oriented bands like The Jansen, Dongker, and many others, we feel fortunate to release music during a time when people are more open-minded towards less polished sounds. However, we don’t think this resurgence has significantly influenced our sound, apart from the fact that we no longer have to worry about creating more abrasive-sounding pop songs in today’s climate.
> 我們認為印尼的獨立音樂場景目前正經歷某種文藝復興，特別是在獨立搖滾方面。這可以從日益興起的二手文化中看出，這與“ Skena”（印尼語中的“場景”）密切相關，也就是我們這裡對另類文化的稱呼。隨著像 The Jansen、Dongker 等 DIY 樂隊的受歡迎程度上升，我們很幸運能在這個人們對不那麼精緻的聲音更加開放的時代發行音樂。然而，我們認為這種復興並沒有對我們的音樂產生重大影響，除了我們不再需要擔心，在當今的環境下創作出聽起來更加刺耳的流行歌曲。
Q7. What artists / bands have influenced your work?
有哪些歌手/樂隊對你們的音樂創作路上產生影響？
> Other than Supercar, we heavily take our sounds from early Indonesian noise pop/shoegaze indie bands like Pure Saturday, Cherry Bombshell, and Kubik. We’re also very inspired by the Korean Shoegaze scene with artists like Parannoul, Della Zyr, and many more. On the other hand, artists like dodie, rachie, and K-pop have influenced fein’s singing style.
> 除了 Supercar，我們的音樂風格深受早期印尼噪音流行/瞪鞋搖滾樂隊的影響，例如 Pure Saturday、Cherry Bombshell 和 Kubik。我們也受到韓國瞪鞋搖滾場景的啟發，例如 Parannoul、Della Zyr 等。此外，像 dodie、rachie 和 K-pop 也影響了 Fein 的唱腔風格。
Q8. What are your future directions or goals for your music?
在音樂創作上，你們未來有什麼方向或目標嗎？
> We’re quite new to all of this, so we’re still trying to adjust with our day-to-day activities. But hopefully we’ll release more music this year. Right now we are working on an album! We want to be the noisiest band in Indonesia. In the distant future, perhaps Crayon Case will complete this quest by meeting up and eventually performing live like any other band does.
> 我們對這一切還很陌生，因此仍在努力適應日常生活。但希望今年能發行更多音樂。目前我們正在製作一張專輯！我們希望成為印尼最吵的樂隊。在遙遠的未來，也許 Crayon Case 將通過見面，並最終像其他樂隊一樣進行現場演出來完成這個任務。
Q9. Can you tell us a little about your current areas of interest (books, films, art, etc.)?
能否向我們簡單介紹一下你們目前感興趣的領域（書籍、電影、藝術等）？
> Aiden: I’ve been watching Abbas Kioristami’s Koker Trilogy. Recently, the books I’m currently reading are the four classic Chinese novels, the works of Kurt Vonnegut and some of Jonathan Swift’s.
> fein: My most recent obsession is an anime called Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End where it follows an elf named Frieren 50 years later after her previous party has completed their journey, trying to understand the fleeting moments of humans.
> Aiden：我最近在觀看阿巴斯·基阿魯斯塔米的《伊朗三部曲》。目前我正在閱讀的書籍包括中國四大名著、寇特·馮內果的作品以及強納森·史威夫特的一些書。
> fein：我最近著迷的動畫是《葬送的芙莉蓮》，它講述了一位名叫芙莉蓮的精靈，在她的隊伍完成旅程的五十年後，試圖理解人類瞬息萬變的時刻。
Q10. Could you share some albums you’ve been listening to recently?
可以跟我們分享一些最近聆聽的音樂作品嗎？
> Luka Yang Dalam by Cherry Bombshell, Heavenly Punk: Adagio by Tavito Nanao, SMILE! 😀 by Porter Robinson
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Crayon Case – 《Catch Twenty-three!!》
試聽 :
Bloody Mary 