“Fuck Corporate Hardcore” NIGHTJAR Drop Sick Debut Self-Titled EP [Malaysia]

Malaysian hardcore punk outfit NIGHTJAR has dropped its much-anticipated debut EP, ‘Nightcrawler,’ featuring six tracks. The physical format of the EP, a 7″ vinyl limited to 200 copies, is slated for release via homegrown punk labels Bollocks Records and Resolve Records. The EP, clocking in at just under 13 minutes, offers a cathartic, introspective, and adversarial journey that fearlessly addresses socio-political issues and personal struggles. While musically thought-provoking and emotionally charged, Nightjar — in its past life as Suicide Me Not! — has been described as “nimble-footed” and “light-hearted”.

“Our lyrics are not dogmatic, like almost all things in life, they are best taken with a grain of salt,” Jimmy quipped. “But they’re not completely bereft of meaning either, as there’s an attempt to navigate and make sense of a seemingly senseless world.”

Nightjar was privileged to have worked with DIY hardcore punk stalwarts such as Bollocks Records founder Adik Bollocks for the vinyl release, and Dean Sani of the bands Kids on the Move and Social Circuit, who crafted the captivating artwork. Amert of Resolve Records also played a vital role in the project, while Tom Bollocks was tasked with remastering the vinyl release.

Adik Bollocks, bassist and founding member of luminary Malaysian punk band The Bollocks, shared his admiration for Nightjar, noting its impactful debut amid a challenging political climate.

“It made me feel something about this band called Nightjar. While the nation was facing a political dilemma, the worst one ever caused by the world’s biggest liar, I was amazed by the track,” Adik explained. “It was punk in the face of a corrupted leader. Simple line chords delivered with great angsty, screaming vocals with deep lyrics. I had no second thoughts about pressing it on wax as it’s a new band with a solid attitude and great playing too. That made me and Tom agree to make it happen in an instant.”

On the artistic medium used in crafting the artwork, Dean said it involved digital collages to emulate a sense of nostalgic ambiance of cut-and-paste art styles.

“The EP cover design encapsulates the essence of the band’s name, which serves as a symbolic expression of dissent from the masses, a nocturnal journey opposed to the conventional daytime path,” Dean said.

“As the masses fall into the abyss, the image of the bird, which represents the band, is seen defying the current. Whether it be the loneliness, an omen of death, an independent movement, or desire to disconnect, the motion remained jarred by the idea and discontentment of the Nightjar.”

The EP’s opening track, ‘Theocracy’ sets the tone with its rebellious lyrics challenging the infringement on personal freedom in the name of religion, while ‘Fuck corporate hardcore, we’ll show you how’ — a cover of a Suicide Me Not! number — pokes fun at pretentious personas and hypocrisy within the hardcore scene.

The band’s first single, ‘Kau bukan bossku’ released in November 2022, and confronts political corruption, racial division, and the exploitation of power.

Another track,’Being broke is so much fun’ explores the struggles of poverty and the broken system that perpetuates inequality, while the EP’s titular track, ‘Nightcrawler’ (released in July 2023) depicts a character who is disconnected from the world, haunted by a past that offers no respite.

Closing the EP is ‘Agent Orange’, a poignant commentary on the devastating legacy of chemical warfare.

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