INTERVIEW: “We’re not here to cosplay the 90s.” BLEACH Drop Phenomenal New EP [Indonesia]

INTERVIEW | Bleach
Indonesian Hardcore
https://www.instagram.com/bleachtodeath/

The beauty of running a website like this is that we get a barrage of submissions of music from bands all over the trajectory of their existence. We sometimes get bands that are SUPER fresh into even just playing in bands, but then we also get submissions from bands who are at the peak of their being. When a band like Indonesian act BLEACH send in any submission or even hit at anything new, we’re the kind of people that will stop whatever we’re doing, pull the car to the side of the road, get off the subway, stop talking to acquaintances, and immediately fully focus on the listening experience.

When BLEACH dropped their brand new EP ‘Cursed Life Fades’, not only did we pull off to the side of the road to listen, we had to sit ourselves down on the ground to try and pick our jaws back up from there. The band has always been known for phenomenal world class music and EXCELLENT visuals (merch, artwork, logo, etc) and so we knew to expect gold. But this is FAR better than anything we could’ve ever imagined. It’s so good we had to actually interview them immediately to get into the psyche of how a band goes from their previous sound (already sick) to their brand new H8000-influenced madness.

The following interview is so sick. Truly appreciate the band for taking the time to answer these questions and to be so honest with their responses.

Big Up Asian Hardcore.

“We think that the H8000 influence is in our blood right now, but we’re not here to cosplay the 90s.”

UA: Yo congrats on this insane new EP! How does it feel to finally get this out? What’s the reception been like so far?
Yo thank you! Feels surreal to finally unleash Cursed Life Fades. We poured so much into this one emotionally, mentally, spiritually. The response’s been overwhelming in the best way. People really connecting with the sound, the rage, the message. It’s wild seeing it resonate the way it has, and it only fuels us to go harder.

UA: Musically, it seems quite different from your previous releases. These tracks have upped the metal/metalcore in the Bleach identity. What was the thought process going into writing these songs?
Yeahh we definitely took a different path with this one. From the start, we wanted to push heavier, darker, and more unfiltered. We’ve always carried that hardcore spirit, but this time we leaned hard into metallic influences in this case the chaos, the aggression, the weight as well. Bands from the H8000 scene, 90s metalcore, even death metal and Slayer type energy were big references. Lyrically, it’s darker, more personal, and full of rage. We wanted every songs to feel like a war cry. Raw, honest, and unforgiving. This is Bleach at its most furious.

UA: Yeah absolutely – that beautiful H8000 worship is clear as day. But the cool thing is that you’re not just doing the typical copy and paste bullshit that a lot of the younger bands are doing by trying to live in the 90s hahaha…you guys are bringing something new to this. Was that all intentional in the songwriting process?
Haha appreciate that, for real man. That was definitely intentional and on the other side it came naturally as well. We didn’t want to just replicate the past, we wanted to honor it while still sounding like us. We think that the H8000 influence is in our blood right now, but we’re not here to cosplay the 90s hahah. We wrote from a real place. Such as our anger and struggles from the reality. That mix of old spirit and modern rage came naturally. We’re not chasing nostalgia in this release for sure. And overall this is our version of that sound, shaped by our own chaos.

UA: Respect – cosplaying is a big conversation to have with the current state of hardcore worldwide. With your songs, do the riffs come first? What’s the songwriting process like? Each song is PACKED with riffs so I imagine each track takes a while to write.
Yeshh man, the riffs always come first for us. We build the whole foundation from that, if a riff doesn’t hit with emotion or weight, it doesn’t make the cut. We rarely ever jam the idea first, most of the time we build the structure piece by piece. On CLF we treat each track like its own warzone, so it has to carry its own mood, message, and momentum. That’s probably why each song feels dense we don’t write just to fill time, every riff has to earn its place. It’s quite a long process for us, but it’s worth it when the final thing punches you in the gut.

UA: Yeah sick – so everything is very intentional and that’s why it sounds like every song is a journey for the listener. So when it came to song order – how’d you all figure that out?
We treated CLF like a narrative. So the track order had to reflect an emotional arc. CLF was always meant to setting the tone. From there, we wanted each songs to hit harder and evolve naturally. It was a mix flow and story we wanted to tell. For example, from track 1 to 6, the mood transitions from sorrow to anger, and by the final track, Eternal Unbound, it reaches a sense of relief.

UA: And how about lyrically? What are the overall themes on this record because the music certainly allows for a big blank canvas for you guys to write words to.
Lyrically, this record reflects everything we’ve seen and felt around us, especially on what’s happening in our country right now. Frustration, disillusionment, resistance, and the search for clarity in this chaotic country/world. Each song explores a different side of suffering, from internal battles to the violence of society, but there’s also a thread of reclaiming power and identity through it all. The music gave us space to express those extremes, so we approached it like painting scenes of rage, grief and eventually redemption.

UA: As the music is out now, and people are going to be digesting it in the coming months, what are you hoping to come out of this for Bleach?
Now that the EP is out, we just hope it connects with people on a deeper level whether through the lyrics, the sound, or the energy behind it. For us, CLF is more than just an EP, it’s a statement of who we are and where we stand right now. We hope it opens new doors, brings us to new places, and inspires more people to create, speak up, and be part of something real.