Kata Delpi dari Dongker, rasa sedih hadir bersama kita sejak lahir. The first thing we do when we enter this world is cry. And maybe, at first, I thought that was exactly what Dongker wanted to explore through Melankolia Radikal — the idea of simply being sad.

But that was only what I thought at first.

Because the deeper I went into this album, the more I realised that Melankolia Radikal isn’t really about feeling sad.

It’s about finding the root of that sadness.

Daripada sekadar merasakan sedih, Dongker chooses to ask where that feeling comes from, dan mungkin, dari mana sebenarnya akar rasa itu tumbuh. Sometimes it comes from childhood trauma. Sometimes from relationships. Sometimes from religion, history, the environment, or even the rules and systems we live under.

The sadness gets bigger when you realise it was never just about you.

I’m not going to review the tracks one by one, because honestly, that’s your job to explore for yourself. But what I can say is, this album changed something in me.

It changed the way I feel sadness.

The way I look at the world.

And maybe even the way I understand the things I hate, especially the things that have contributed to some of the deepest sadness in my own life.

During our conversation, Arno mentioned how young they still were when they began discovering these kinds of feelings. And maybe that’s what makes Melankolia Radikal feel so interesting.

At the age of 22, they start realising that some of the different sadnesses you carry might actually come from the same root.

A root we might have overlooked for years.

And if you look closely enough at the album cover, maybe you can already guess what that root is. (iykyk)

People have been saying the face on the cover looks like Jokowi.

He says… nope. 

So we’re not saying anything. You decide what you see. Hahaha.

But ultimately, Dongker isn’t asking you to simply sit with the sadness.

There’s nothing more they want from you than to feel it, channel it, and let it out.

And kalau boleh, lepaskan semuanya bersama mereka di panggung.

As they put it, maybe the stage is where we can finally release all that “pukimak” feeling we’ve been carrying around. 

Maybe that’s what makes Melankolia Radikal hit differently.

It doesn’t tell you that sadness is something you need to run away from.

It asks you to look at it.

Trace it.

Understand where it came from.

And then, maybe, scream about it together.

So go give Melankolia Radikal a listen now. It’s available on all major streaming platforms.

And the best part?

Dongker’s Malaysia album tour isn’t over yet.

Go catch them in your nearest city.

Or maybe at the nearest MRT station?

Hahaha, iykyk.


See You In The Crowd.

— Evphoric Music