Bingkai Karya – alternative-pop band Lomba Sihir is ready to rock 2025 with a single titled “Sofa”. Regardless of how unique the title of their latest single is, Peserta Lomba Sihir out there (the moniker of the band’s devoted fans) may immediately understand that beneath the surface of their often ‘quirky’ song titles, there is always a deep perspective on life — a juxtaposition that has consistently been Lomba Sihir‘s hallmark since they began their journey in 2021.
The 4-minute-and-54-second midtempo tune carries a sweet narrative from the perspective of a sofa, as members Natasha Udu, Rayhan Noor, and Baskara Putra harmonize:
“Semua / Cerita yang engkau lalui / Drama dan tawa / Rebahlah / Kau tahu ku selalu di sini / Ku bersamamu, dirimu malam ini.”
(“All / The stories you go through / Drama and laughter / Lie down / You know I’m always here / I’m with you, you tonight.”)
Written by all members of Lomba Sihir together but produced by Rayhan Noor and Enrico Octaviano, the band, now based in Jakarta, revealed that the song “Sofa” is not a metaphor, but rather a “love letter” as well as a form of their gratitude to a real sofa that often becomes a place for Lomba Sihir to perch and chat with each other.
Who says that a human’s best friends must be in the form of pets?
“Indeed, of all the songs that will make up our second album later, the song ‘Sofa’ is, as it were, the ‘backbone’ of the album. In fact, one of the lyrics in this song was once the tentative title of the album,” said Lomba Sihir.
“We realize that of all the entities that exist, it is a sofa that is the ‘backbone’ of our lives as humans. A sofa is a place where we discuss ideas, call our parents, fight with our lovers, and solve life’s problems. If an inanimate object like this sofa could talk, the testimonies would be very abundant. Although it may seem funny, our sofa is also a witness to our lives.”
In terms of songwriting, Lomba Sihir deliberately created a narrative that was completely literal and not allegorical. In addition, the song “Sofa” becomes even more unique when compared to Lomba Sihir‘s previous discography thanks to the meaning of its lyrics, which are deliberately free from multiple interpretations.
“This song does not imply any double meanings at all,” continued Lomba Sihir.
“When writing this song, we really imagined what our sofa would convey to us after witnessing the twists and turns of life that have happened on it. It’s that simple.”
Simplicity has also returned to being the spirit of Lomba Sihir in their current musical era. Similar to their previous singles — “Menit Tambahan” and “Tak Ada Waktu Tepat Untuk Berita Buruk” — this band wishes to transform their casual chats into a musical body of work.
Moreover, perhaps Peserta Lomba Sihir will be surprised by the nuances of the music production of “Sofa”, which tends to be more pop when compared to Lomba Sihir‘s previous discography.
“Regarding the sonic direction for the song ‘Sofa’, our focus is on creating a musical nuance that completely ‘flows’,”elaborated Lomba Sihir.
“We didn’t force this song to sound like typical alternative music, and we also didn’t force this song to deliberately break through the pure-pop line. We just wanted to make sure that the atmosphere we felt when working on the song ‘Sofa’ could also be felt by the listeners later.”
What about the video clip?
“Long story short: our video clip for the song ‘Sofa’ will feature everyone who has contributed to Lomba Sihir,” they answered.
It doesn’t seem excessive to conclude that Lomba Sihir‘s latest work is highly anticipated right now. The band has brought a surprise at the beginning of 2025 thanks to one of their singles, “Ribuan Memori”, which managed to become the first sleeper hit of the new year.
Responding to the sleeper-hit status of “Ribuan Memori”, Lomba Sihir said:
“To be honest, we always had a feeling that time would tell — and it turns out that time is now. When we worked on and released ‘Ribuan Memori’, we secretly believed that, no matter when and how, this song would reach the ears of its listeners — perhaps with a much wider frequency than we could have anticipated.”
“Sofa” by Lomba Sihir is released under the Sun Eater music label and can be listened to on all digital streaming platforms (DSP) beginning February 19, 2025.
About Lomba Sihir
When Baskara Putra, Enrico Octaviano, Natasha Udu, Rayhan Noor, Tristan Juliano, and Wisnu Ikhsantama assembled and became an alternative quintet named Lomba Sihir, it was as if the global COVID-19 pandemic(ironically) had become the new, triumphant renaissance for the Indonesian independent music landscape.
Slowly but surely, the band’s debut album Selamat Datang Di Ujung Dunia (Welcome to the Edge of the World) – an anthology of 12 songs that paint the romance of Jakarta with a pointed brush and brash color strokes – successfully became a comforting presence for Indonesian music audiences, while also anointing the band as a rising indie forcein Asia.
By the end of 2021, Selamat Datang Di Ujung Dunia was ranked 9th on NME Asia’s list of “The 25 Best Asian Albums of 2021”, alongside other critically acclaimed records such as Lilac by IU and The Chaos Chapter: Freeze by TXT.
Even after the departure of Wisnu Ikhsantama, Lomba Sihir continued to shine, performing on major music festival stages such as Joyland Bali, Synchronize Fest, and Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival.
Entering 2023, Lomba Sihir refreshed their journey with “Ribuan Memori” (“Thousands of Memories”), followed by their first-ever tour, “Parade Sihir: Tur Perdana Lomba Sihir” (“Magic Parade: Lomba Sihir’s First Tour”).
In 2024, the band successfully held their two-night showcase concert in Jakarta, titled “2 Jam Bersama Lomba Sihir”(“2 Hours with Lomba Sihir”), while also unveiling new singles like “Menit Tambahan,” “Tak Ada Waktu Tepat Untuk Berita Buruk,” and “Sofa”.
A sweet surprise arrived when “Ribuan Memori”, almost two years after its release, suddenly became the first sleeper hit in the Indonesian music scene in 2025.
Lomba Sihir is under the Sun Eater music label.
