Music
Butterfingers: Just who are these guys?
We revisit this legendary band’s history through 5 of their most popular songs.
A surprising return
© Creative Commons
Butterfingers will be headlining the upcoming Rockaway Festival. The band, consisting of Emmett (vocals/guitars), Loque (guitars), Kadak (bass) and Loko (drums), has not shared the stage since 2009. If you are suffering from a bout of musical amnesia, or you just don’t know what the big deal is, we’ve put together a brief Butterfingers’ historical anthology using 5 of their most compelling songs.
1. Me
1993-1995
The band’s formation was serendipitous, sparked by a chance meeting between Loque and Emmett in 1993 at popular 90s jamming studio Black Widow. It was a perfect match, as the band’s infectious energy and Emmett’s strong homage to Cobain made them darlings of KL’s budding underground scene. Their early sound and almost-naïve nihilistic energy are best encapsulated in this early track, which eventually made it onto their debut album. A furious burst of melody and monstrous guitaring that fades into a galactic march, this early release contained glimpses of the magic brewing within the band.
2. Ruin by the Selling Out
1996
The huge buzz generated by their early demos resulted in a multi-album deal with label EMI. Their fans were apprehensive… will the band be moulded by a bunch of heavy-handed music execs?
The band quickly put this notion to rest, with their debut album 1.2 Milligrams (1996), packed with zippy grunge tunes teeming with unbridled punk energy. The record gave the band even more credibility, demonstrating that they were able to sell their raw sound to their label. Not that it mattered to the bean counters as the album sold a cool 15,000 copies.
3. The Chemistry (Between Us)
1997 - 2000
Their sophomore album Butter Worth Pushful, released a year later in 1997, was a slicker record. In many ways, it was the album that many people thought they would release as soon as they joined a big label. But with the credibility of 1.2 Milligrams under their belt, the band was free to explore the blend of futuristic electro-galactic stylings with their signature grunge sound.
‘The Chemistry (Between Us)’ not only marked a change in the band’s status as local music royalty and cemented them into the annals of local underground folklore, but it also represented a slight departure from the band’s more primal early songs. The track begins not with the crunch of a power chord, but with the twinkle of swelling strings before gradually building up to raw grunge.
Butterfingers was ready for a supersized show on stage. Their larger-than-life set at the first ‘Rock the World’ in March 2000 was a milestone of sorts, featuring everything from string-busting riffs (literally), flying plastic bottles and the sight of thousands of fans moshing to ‘Chemistry’ (check out the video below). This gig cemented their status as a premium live act in Malaysia.
4. Selamat Tinggal Dunia
2001 - 2005
It was during this time that the band was reaching the height of their commercial potential (Transcendence reportedly sold a staggering 60,000 copies), but there was still a sense among fans that they had not yet reached their creative nirvana.
That would change with the release of Malayneum in 2001. The album was a game changer – their Kid A, so to speak. The title track’s acid house-like rhythm structures, sparred riffing and slow burn melodies were a galaxy away from the call-to-arms anthems of their previous records. Fan reactions ranged from disappointment to confusion. But critically, the album was hailed as a brave move showcasing the true breadth of their potential.
But their evolution as a band was not done. After a lengthy gap, during which Emmett left to pursue his studies in Canada, the band returned with their magnum opus Selamat Tinggal Dunia (STD) in 2005.
The album was the band’s first Malay language album, weaving together complex themes of mortality, rebellion and existentialism. The songs reflected a massive maturity for the band not just sonically, but also lyrically, making it the band’s most exceptional record to date. Read our account on that record and the history behind it here. If Malayneum was the first bullet that crippled their grunge past, STD was the fatal shot, transforming the band into a completely different musical entity.
From the epic title track that begins with an escalating wall of sound to the folk nod of ‘Tentang Tentang’, STD was a colorful record. Even when they did ‘rock out’, they did it differently, as was the case with the fiery ‘Merpati Sejoli’, which drew more from the Stones than Cobain.
5. Suddenly
2006 - Now
In 2006, Loque decided to pack his bags and leave for Berklee, sparking rumors of internal challenges and the band’s demise.
However, the band surprised everyone by ending their hiatus in 2008 with yet another Malay album titled Kembali. When the album was launched, there was a strong sense that this was the band’s final lap. That was confirmed in 2009, when the band played a series of final shows at Istana Budaya, and made an appearance at the Sunburst Music Festival as a proper send-off for the fans. The band stopped playing together since then.
Upon his return to Malaysia, Loque formed monoloQue with Kadak and Loko, continuing the narrative he started on STD that fused traditional Malay music elements with angular indie rock. Emmett’s return to the music front in 2014 further sparked calls for a reunion, something Loque continued to refute even until earlier this year.
This was why it came a massive surprise when the band was announced as the headliners for Rockaway Festival on November 19.
How do we feel about their return? There is a line in their track ‘Suddenly’ that encapsulates how we feel about this reunion: ‘I've been waiting patiently/dreaming for the day to come’.
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