following the sterling 2021 debut single “Head on Fire”, IGMO takes Himalayan Headbangers to open up about their awaited newly released first album “Take It Over”. You can buy their brand new album here.
Hey guys, first off, congratulations on your debut album. Please tell us about your band “IGMO”!
Hi, Hazel. Thank you so much!
We’re a hard rock band hailing from Kediri, Indonesia. We were founded in 2015 (well, we’ve been around much longer than we thought). Currently, we consist of Pradio (singer, guitarist), Iga (guitarist), Bintang (drummer), & Anggra (bassist).
You guys have recently released your album “Take It Over”. How were the responses from your fans?
It’s great! We finally have guts to call ourselves “A Band”, eh? Haha. Anyway, a lot of them said that it’s a breakthrough. And they love it! Some said they’ve been waiting for a long time for this debut.
Tell us the ideas and concepts behind your album title and the cover artwork. What is the story behind it?
The focus of the phrase “Take It Over” is the word “It”. We define that word as “Yourself.” And the album is all about fighting, standing, and keep growing ournvery selves each day. Carpe diem.”
So, the album can also be called as “Take Yourself Over.” Pucatpena (our artworker) then translated that idea into this artwork. (Shoutout to him!). He himself defined “It” as “a continuous journey to the deepest of our
hearts; finding our true selves every day.” That’s why there’s “It” embedded into the character’s chest, symbolizing our heart.
From this album, my favorite track is “Peace of Night”. Could you please tell us about this track?
This song was written by Pradio, based on his own story. “One night I followed my father hanging out with his friends. What I remember was that each of them includes company bosses, principals, village officials, employees, farmers, rickshaw drivers, sand miners, entrepreneurs, to shamans.
At first, I was surprised. You know, sometimes we define people by their label—jobs, status, position, etc. I did too. Then I realized it doesn’t always matter. Not when you’re on the same table, sipping coffee together. That’s when I realized that a cup of coffee means much more than I thought. It reminds me that no matter what labels we have, we are all the same human beings. That’s it.”
How would you describe the music that you typically create?
We like to explore a lot of 70’s rock tunes. Because basically we all listen to them. You name it: Classic, southern, stoner, psychedelic, even some progressive ones. I think our music reflects them.
Have you always been interested in music? Was there a particular song/performance that made you say “Woah! I want to do that!”
Our first love for music stems from what we listen. We ‘re all influenced by the music that came before us. In turn, it inspires us to do the same. To take our own way, find our colors, and define ourselves musically.
What is the most useless talent you have?
Of course that’s a secret!
What sets your music apart? What is unique, or at least uncommon?
As we said before, our album contains 8 tracks with various influence here and there. Yet, there’s this line that connects them all. The rest, I leave it to you, listener. (Please do tell us!)
What has been the most challenging aspect of your current releases?
We found some challenges in both technical and non-technical matters. We think it’s because this is our debut album. So, we tended to calculate every and each thing thoroughly starting from the workshop, recording, ‘til the post-production. We learned A LOT, though.
How do you view the current Indonesian music industry?
The music industry here has developed continuously along with technological advances, but we think it is still not thorough, especially in small cities. Kediri, our city, is the example of such.
Was anyone else involved in writing, recording, or producing the songs?
The album was recorded at Vamos31 Record Studio and Virtuoso Studio (drums only). Yasa Wijaya handled the project as the co-producer, sound, mixing, and mastering engineer. Maria Titin from Hutan Hujan also contributed her vocals on “The Oldbook”. (Shoutout to their amazing talent!).
At last, do you wanna share anything else with our readers?
Right now, we’re already preparing the second album. Writing and doing workshop for new materials. We think it’s expected to be released in 2023. But for now, please do listen to our debut album, Take It Over. You can get it on
Bandcamp, igmo.bandcamp.com.
And finally, our gratitude goes to Himalayan Headbanger! We’re so thankful for its support since our first single. Please do support this webzine in any way possible. We love you, Hazel! Keep in touch with us, OK?
