FOLK and rock group Monoloque has finally released a long-awaited song titled 'Halimunan Abad Ke 21', their latest single produced with a unique blend of sound and narrative elements.
In a recent statement, the group's lead singer and leader Loque said that the song started when the group was still a year old.
"The song was penned in 2010, when I had just returned from the US seeking a fresh element in music.
"I tested guitarist Ijoo with songs like 'Jika Aku Seorang Robot' and 'Cinta', and we ended up creating one more song which is this one."
He added that 'Halimunan Abad ke-21' was one of the first collaborative efforts signalling a change in their identity.
"I previously clicked with Western music elements and styles. But at this point I decided to revive Malaysia's musical identity and re-establish Nusantara music."
Loque decided to pen lyrics entirely in the national language and produced songs with the concept of the 'Concrete Jungle', telling the story of 21st-century Malaysian society.
Loque said: "Among these songs are 'Batu Belah Batu Konkrit' and 'Gurindam Hutan Batu' and the first song to use this 'concrete jungle' concept is 'Halimunan Abad Ke-21'.
"At that time, I was obsessed with the pentatonic scale, a scale often used in folk songs in Asia, and that's where the motifs in the song originated from.
"At the same time, I asked Ijoo to do a guitar solo avoiding major scale notes, only using the pentatonic scale, which resulted in a sape-like guitar solo in the outro of the song 'Halimunan Abad Ke-21'."
Lyrically, it signifies a significant change in Loque's writing style, representing the post-Berklee era.
He said that the song was a story that depicted the concrete jungle as a reflection of Malaysia's transition into the era of globalisation and modernisation.
"It revolves around the feelings of modern society where an individual can still feel loneliness and darkness even while standing in a crowd."
Loque, whose real name is Khairil Ridzwan Anwar, has in recent years been focusing on fusing traditional gamelan music and modern rock.
In 2021, he and his band came up with the innovative album 'Lagu Perang (Bunyian Gamelan Melayu Di Abad Ke 21)', and the title track was derived from a traditional joget gamelan song that Orkes Gamelan Pahang Di Raja (Royal Pahang Gamelan Orchestra) used as an opening number.
As the leader of independent rock band Butterfingers, Loque recently re-released their first Hari Raya song, 'Hari Raya Di Kuala Lumpur' which talks about his Raya experiences as a 'KL boy'.
The song was Butterfingers' first Malay song which made its debut 20 years ago.
In March, Loque relaunched his 2016 song 'Cinta Yang Paling Sempurna' which was given a fresh and contemporary interpretation by musician Kimal of Magasatwa.
'Halimunan Abad Ke-21' is available on all major music streaming platforms.