A fresh new take
Bunkface members put their egos aside and welcome new ideas for their new project, writes Tahir Alhamzah
FOR a band which first released an EP containing English songs 11 years ago, it’s been quite a while for Bunkface to put out an English single. “The last English songs we recorded were those nine tracks in our second studio album, Bunk Not Dead ,in 2012,” says the band’s lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Sam, whose full name is Shamsul Annuar Mohd Baharum.
Besides him, the band comprises bassist Youk (Farouk Jaafar) and lead guitarist Paan (Ahmad Farhan).
After the EP release, the group which is largely known for its pop punk music genre went on to release full albums such as Phobia Phoney (in 2010), Bunk Not Dead (2012), Malam Ini Kita Punya (2014), and BFX (2016).
It started with the inclusion of four Malay tracks in the first full album (with six English songs). This was followed by three out of 12 tracks in second album before coming out with a full Malay album.
“Our musical journey began with us singing English songs first, which later progressed to playing a few Malay numbers and before we know it, it has been six years since we came up with English numbers.
“So it’s timely that we come out with an English single now. In a way, this song is a reminder of how we first started,” adds Youk.
On Oct 18, Bunkface released the single titled Shiver, simultaneously with its music video.
Sam adds that Shiver, which he composed and wrote, has a different flavour from what they have been offering in the past.
“Although we’re known for the pop punk songs, we prefer to experiment with music, especially pop music.
“This is a pop song which we have adjusted to today’s listeners’ taste. In other words, we want to give a fresh sound to Bunkface,” he says.
To give it a fresher sound, Bunkface has engaged someone else to coproduce the song, unlike their previous works which had all been their own blood, sweat and tears.
“If we want to stay relevant in the industry today, we need to put our egos aside and try something new,” reasons Sam on why the band has engaged Izzy Musa to co-produce the single and its upcoming album.
The music video, filmed at MAPS Perak, a theme park in Ipoh, was directed by the bandmembers themselves. It offers a more modern cinematography approach compared to Bunkface’s previous videos.
In the video, Sam is dressed in black and white, resembling the late pop icon Michael Jackson.
“Oh yes, I grew up with his music and like many others, I love him. Ever since small, I was already into pop culture,” he shares.
Shiver, together with another single, Apa Pun Tak Boleh, released earlier this year are among the tracks to be included in the new album simply called Pop.
Apa Pun Tak Boleh sees the band collaborating with 1960s Pop Yeh Yeh legend Datuk Jeffrydin and rapper Caprice.
“Again, this collaboration goes back to stepping out of our comfort zone, to give our music a different feel and hopefully by combining three different music generations, it’d enrich our portfolio as well, offering music to a wider audience,” says Youk.
The new album, which the band says has been in the planning since four years ago, will only be released early next year.
It consists of eight tracks, with equal numbers in both languages.
“Besides the two singles released, we will release another one before the end of the year and before the launch of the full album,” shares Sam, who says that they may embark on a tour to promote the new album when it is out.
“Anyway, we are very excited for the album release as we are anxious to see the response to this other side of Bunkface. We are still in the midst of mixing the rest of the songs,” he adds.