Unless You Linger, Congrats on Getting Older, Loser, Dumber Than Ever

Linger wrote a solid album that will make your mid-20 crisis feel like forever.

I don’t know what the GPA that Dandy Gilang holds in his resume. But he is smart. Like freaking smart! To support my argument, check his latest album Congratulations You’re Getting Old on Spotify. This relatively new project under Linger is very well-crafted, listenable, and most importantly showing off how smarter and rarer he is than any indie-rock peers — who are still hoping Oasis reuniting last time I checked. This not only solidly can define Malang alternative scene as the best one in Indonesia, as the city putting out the best record after the best record from the close-knit community, guarded by the likes of Haum Entertainment and Fallyears Record as the powerhouse labels, but also define the indie-rock style that has been lost the meaning for some time. If I must say, this record is the city’s greatest invention after bakso bakar Trowulan.

By using the buzzword like twentysomethings, Dandy’s songwriting transparently centers around of mid-20s crisis. If you follow all of his works through solo stuff on Soundcloud, Write The Future, Much and now Linger, I can be safe to say it’s actually a canon tale of mid-20 crisis and his songs are related to each other, either it’s directly or not. For starter, he is always looked like trapped fighting for the existence in real life, relationship breakdowns, and anxieties and more. It’s obvious a guy in pop-punk band is stuck in his puberty phases and taking ages to grow up, but Dandy knows how to tackle that and his output is a perfect storm for us. Dude, there is a life outside blink-182 and New Found Glory, don’t hide in the cave forever.

As he gets older and continue on with life in different phases, I can also feel his music influences growing. I noted he mentioned Jeff Rosenstock, Kevin Devine (maybe Conor Oberst too?) along with everyone poster-boy bands like Joyce Manor and I think Philly indie pop-punk/rock like Modern Baseball, The Ambulars and Slaughter Beach, Dog. It’s a smart move to think about for anyone in a band right now.

As a fan myself, I’m so curious of Dandy’s life like what the things he has to get through day to day? Is it pretty same like me? But for sure, it’s related to everyone. I feel every word he puts out always like it feels right? I mean it felt fucking right! Something that really gets me most is the song To The Grounds. It’s not about getting older but it’s like an old man viewing his inner self before going to die. He has a song that communicates his worries with the old man in Out of Reach. Really scary but depth as hell stuff from a guy who just celebrated life at 25. But maybe he feels the self-doubt immensely than anyone in his age. And i know it’s not our daily conversation to talk about our anxieties, existence and depression on what is the fucking going on in the real life, so he spilled his thoughts and struggles in the album.“It’s just what’s been bothering and overwhelming me these past couple of years,” he says.

But, seriously, I really need someone to finish his/her graduate education by studying phychoanalysis on how a smart guy like Dandy struggles in his twenties. For your study comparison, take me. I failed every job interview for fuckton times, don’t have valuable skill sets, basic degree, no real achievement, no friends to hang out, fucking mundane day job, pressured to get married ASAP, and not in any band where I could spit out my problems. But I would be gladly to think my life seems better than anyone for I always remember Ian MacKaye ever said that every happy family has their own problem. (That actually Tolstoy’s words, but he is not punk or emo and no music critics ever quoted him, so that’s why)

I never get enough to Dandy’s stuff. Even if he’s still writing mid-20 crisis theme for 2–3 future albums or until he goes insane, I could still enjoy it like the first time I know this album and get myself lost in it immediately. It’s because I’m glad the scene has such great talent like Dandy (Prabu and Rizkan as well). He is my favourite poet. Outside them, congratulations you’re getting older, loser, dumber, poorer with none would care of your existence. No offence I just describe myself. I don’t know if any of you is worse than me, but seriously be smart like Dandy, stop reading this and enjoy the whole thing below.