Written by J.L

At the height of the metal phenomenon, when most gigs were still dominated and headlined by the likes of Massacre Conspiracy and The Padangs, not many dared to go out and do something totally different. From smaller gigs at Munkee Studio to bigger arenas like Rock The World, everyone just wanted to headbang. Couple, however, played at the infamous lecak- party of a Rock The World concert at Padang Merbok, was greeted with a crescendo of singalong where bootboys, metalheads and indie folks joined arms to celebrate their Pop, as if it never left the Top. Couple and a few other indie bands at the time were considered an exception for pop, but beyond them, pop was a word of taboo in the surface of the underground scene, predominantly because it’s usually associated with overproduced jingles you listen to on the radio. 

I’ve heard the story of how Faliq met Eff a few times already: Faliq admired Eff’s singing style, both met online and a few meetups after, Pastel Lite was formed. The mass music fans first enjoyed the taste of their version of pop through the WKND sessions, where they performed a few of their stellar singles at the time, including ‘Underdog’. But the release that brought them to fame, was Balada, which was their first album and first record under Yuna Room Records. Songs like ‘Aneh’ and ‘Masa Kita’ shown Faliq and Eff’s mastery as they introduced a version of pop that Malaysians have missed and with that, enticed YRR to produce another record: Pop Bilik Tidur.

““Pop Bilik Tidur” is basically our second album under the label Yuna Room Records. It is our first venture into making a fully malay language album. The album consist of sounds and styles that borrows from 80s, Synthpop, Disco and nostalgia pop influences that are being painted in a bedroom pop production style (that is definitive of Pastel Lite),” laments Eff. “The heart of the album is basically what we wish Malaya pop music would sound like today whilst paying homage symbolically to 80s icon like Francissca Peters and Noorkumalasari whilst mixing it up with new influences from new wave sounds that is current and new.”

What’s interesting, is that there seems to be some sort of a continuity in Pop Bilik Tidur, from their first album Balada. But I guess that’s how a lot of musicians write their albums you know, because there will always be bits and pieces of your first album in your next ones. The case is similar with Pastel Lite, even though Pop Bilik Tidur is a whole animal in itself.

‘We like to think that we’ve learnt a lot from the making of Balada that we think is crucial information that can be used in the making of Pop Bilik Tidur, but to be fair, who wants to keep doing the same thing? We’ve never been a fan of staying in our comfort zone and being safe and repetitive. With the new album, we wanted to do it with a different approach, a different language, energy and vibe all together. It is safe to say that Pop Bilik Tidur is it’s own thing and can’t really be compared to all our other works.’

For older fans, who layan their music since the first EP, Pastel Lite was always known as a duo that’s more English-centric. But something clicked, sometime after Etcetera, and through Eff’s instastories, you could see that the singer-songwriter was keen in writing in Bahasa. Well, it’s safe to say that her efforts didn’t go to waste, because Pastel Lite’s number one hit on Spotify is a song in Bahasa. 

“Honestly, it was an excruciating yet soul full-filling task.  I had to dive deep into my roots to figure out the kind of narrative I want to use in Bahasa that is Pastel Lite and at the same time is an expressive platform for us to be able to get our stories across. But it wasn’t as daunting as it sound. I was raised in Sabah and I am from a malay background, writing in malay was a small part in my life, I just needed a way to tap into that especially for this new album,” Eff said.

For Pop Bilik Tidur, not only that they’re focusing more on Bahasa Malaysian songs, the duo brought in a legend in the Bahasa pop scene: Naza of the Times. Naza was an instrumental member of OAG, and now continues to play for his band The Times after a long break from performing. Faliq made it clear that Naza was a musical hero of his — so he brought the frontman’s voice to grace their first single of the album, ‘Hello Sayang’.

2nd from the left: Naza of The Times

“It was an amazing experience to be able to meet your hero let alone work with him,” Faliq recalls. “Eff showed me the demo of ‘Hello Sayang’ prior to this and I remember thinking “Naza would just be perfect for the second verse”. I just couldn’t picture anyone else for the song. When he listened to the demo he was excited to be on board. We couldn’t believe it. It was just surreal! He gave us his support and pretty much his blessings.”

However, Naza wasn’t the only big name to be involved in the album. As the record label owner, award-winning singer-songwriter Yuna also put out a few golden touches to Pop Bilik Tidur.

“Being in Yuna Room Records, Yuna has obviously been apart of our decision making,” the both of them said. “But she has been nothing but kind and nurturing. She gave us ideas every now and then. And she is always in tune with what we want, giving us ample freedom to create and be ourselves. She has helped us with arrangements, concept idea, visuals and just being musicians in general. We highly appreciate every input she has given us so far.”