SUGAR BITTER are Indonesian indie rock band formed on 2012 in Semarang City. The band formation is consist of four personnels; A. Luthfi Maajid (lead Guitar, vocals); Lazuardi Rifki (lead vocals, rhythm guitar); Ardian Daniswara (drums); and Dimas Sadewa – who recently joined – on bass guitar.
At the very beginning, the band was initiated by Luthfi and Lazuardi – who came from the same high school – as they recognized to have a similar taste of music. After a while they invited two others, Ardian Daniswara and Reza Rachman (former bass player), who also came from the same high school with Luthfi and Lazuardi. The band began rehearsing at one of the band home studio, Luthfi, and played its first gig on 10 November 2012. They also decided the date to become the band formed date as well as the name, Sugar Bitter, be proclaimed. After a few performances in 2012, the band began to record demos at Luthfi’s studio.
The band’s music is known to fall under the umbrella of indie rock, until now the genres are identified as post-punk revival / garage rock / alternative rock. Sugar Bitter has drawn on a number of varied sources to create their alternative rock sound. Listing The Strokes, Cage the Elephant, Arctic Monkeys, Milburn, Dead Sons, The Black Angels, Temples, The Clash, etc. among their influences, the band have gradually developed both their song writing style and musical presentation over the course of their songs. Sugar Bitter also influenced by psychedelic-rock, stoner-rock, blues-rock, jungle-pop/rock, desert rock, and many more in between.
The band has released their first single ‘Story Teller’ on early 2013. And the following single, ‘Circle of Life’ was released as well on late 2013. ‘Circle of Life’ single was also included in the compilation album ‘Aliansi Musik’ edition October 2014 (link: http://www.deathrockstar.club/aliansi-musik-oktober-2014/) which initiated by DEATHROCKSTAR (Indie Webzine based on Jakarta, Indonesia).
The band has also released Demo EP on 2014 listing: Storyteller, Circle of Life, and Melancholic Triumph (with the Storyteller and Circle of Life as, respectively, the first and second single of the band).
Recently, the band has released debut EP, Spark Plug, on 24 April 2016, at a kind of a party they called “Spark Show” in Semarang. At Spark Show, Sugar Bitter invited some fellow local bands: Moiss, Gold Thief, and Soundgrass. And also, one band from Yogyakarta, Kavvah. Approximately one month before the day of the EP launching, Sugar Bitter released new Single entitled Caffeinated Man via Soundcloud, which could be freely streamed at Sugar Bitter Soundcloud.
Discography:
2016: ‘Spark Plug’ EP
2016: ‘Caffeinated Man’ Single
2014: ‘Demo’ EP
2014: ‘Aliansi Musik (October 2014)’ by DEATHROCKSTAR
