Santamonica

In 2001, when Joseph Saryuf returning home to Jakarta after studying in Hamburg, Germany, he decided to become a full-time musician and starting to compose songs for his own music project. Not long after that, Joseph met Anindita, a fashion editor and freelance illustrator, and decided to form a duo based on their similar taste in music and their love for analog sounds. In September 2005, Santamonica finally released their first EP titled ‘189’ to stamp their name in the local music scene and as a warm up prior to the release of the bands full-length album. The EP includes three songs Please Say Yes, Sought and Found, and Serenade of Yellow Park which has a more acoustic, warm feeling than the songs in their upcoming debut album. Other than the release of ‘189’ EP, they have played in many respectable gigs around Jakarta and Bandung, such as PL Fair, La Voila, and Indonesia’s biggest music festival Soundrenaline along with the country’s top bands and performers. From their inceptions, they have gathered fans both locally and overseas, thanks to their unique sound, dynamic live performance and exposures from websites like Myspace. They also took part in two compilation albums, Pop Shower (2003, Quince Records Japan) and Todays Of Yesterday (2005, Bad Sectors Records). Recently, Anindita also contributed in the latest album from shoegaze veterans Loveliescrushing which will be released sometime in 2007. After two years of waiting, Santamonica’s full-length debut ‘Curiouser and Curiouser’, will be released in Indonesia, this November 2007, under Sinjitos Records (Joseph’s own records label). This album is a follow-up to the band’s EP ‘189’ which was already sold out (1,000 copies in limited release). In this album, Santamonica has shifted its musical direction from their patented bossa nova and indiepop sounds into an eclectic mixture of electro-pop, modern jazz, and progressive rock while their musical roots still remain intact. They described their new sound as the musical version of a trip down to Alice in Wonderland, when listeners can expect a roller coaster of musical journey accompanied with the band’s trademark whimsical sounds. “The whole experience when listening to our music is quite eerie, yet I think it (our music) also possesses a beautiful quality in it” explains Anindita in one of the local radio interview. Their single ‘Wanderlust’ can be expected to hit radio stations shortly before the album’s release. Santamonica's "Curiouser and Curiouser" is finally secured a Japanese release date on April 29, 2009. The album will be released by JVC/Victor Entertainment Inc. The Japanese version includes five songs that are previously only available in "Curiouser and Curiouser" Special Edition Album. View the link here ( http://www.jvcmusic.co.jp/-/Discography/A022423/VICP-64689.html ). The songs are: Curiouser and Curiouser Better For Us Never Wanderlust Plain Song Ribbons And Tie Descent Paper Dolls Silent Society The Boy With Stars In His Eyes Fail To Bloom Run The Boy (Reprise) Bobsessed Reason Tinkerwish Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.