Interview: Grrrl Gang Finally Lands in Austin

Indonesian trio Grrrl Gang makes its in-person South by Southwest debut with a guitar-driven punk-rock sound straight from Yogyakarta.

Written by Valeria Mota

Photo courtesy of Bandcamp

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Indonesian band Grrrl Gang was all set to perform at South by Southwest (SXSW) in March 2020. While the collective performed at the festival’s online version during 2021, the band finally graced the live music capital of the world for its long-awaited in-person SXSW performance. Afterglow sat down with the band to talk about Austin crowds, Indonesian representation, and a recent shift to more punk-rock sounds.

Afterglow: You guys played South by Southwest in 2021, but that ended up being online. How does it feel to finally be here in person?

Angeeta Sentana (vocals and guitar): It feels surreal! Like, okay, American crowd, wow.

Akbar Rumandung (bass and supporting vocals): Literally three days before our flight [to Austin] Covid happened, so we [were] already prepared with everything back in 2020 when we were supposed to come here, but because of Covid, obviously we couldn’t. Six years after that, five years after 2021, we're finally here.

Edo Alventa (guitar and supporting vocals): When we got to Texas, we were like, “Really? Is it real?”

Sentana: Yeah, we were like, “Wow, guys, are we actually doing this?”

That’s so exciting! You guys have already played several shows here this week. How does an Austin crowd compare to a crowd back home?

Sentana: Honestly, it's similar. Like the way that they react to the songs, to our performance. It's kind of similar to how Yoja audiences would react. But the only thing that's different is that there are a lot of more old people in our show [here]. That's the only difference. It was quite nice to see a lot of old folks, just vibing to the song.

Alventa: Maybe we have to play more morning shows so that the older [people can come].

Sentana: Yeah, like the biggest benefactor in terms of merch buying has been the older folks.

You have been making music since 2017. How do you think your sound has evolved over the years?

Sentana: Oh, it’s evolved massively, greatly. It's so different from what we initially played. We had more dreamy sounds back then, dream-poppy sounds, and now we're just harsher, I guess. More guitar driven, way more.

Your most recent maxi-single, “Online 24/7,” is noticeably darker, more personal, and like you mentioned, more guitar driven than your previous releases. What pushed this change in sound and songwriting for this?

Rumandung: The music that we play is harsher, more punk rock, so sound wise [“Online 24/7” is] kind of more lo-fi than what we did before … it’s just a whole different spectrum for Grrrl Gang. 

Alventa: The new record, it’s harsher, more to the point than what we did before.

Sentana: It kind of came about as a reaction to all of the audiences that have watched us perform in our earlier days, especially during our dream-pop days, because people are like, moshing and couch surfing while we were [playing] all more chill sounds. So we're like, okay, we love this energy, let's translate this into our music as well. The audience kind of played a part in this change in sound. You can really see it from Spunky, our debut album.

The Indonesian indie scene isn't always on the Western radar. Do you guys feel like you're representing Indonesia by being here in some way? 

Sentana: There's [been] a lot more Indonesian representation in the past 10 years, although not many compared to our Asian peers. But there are many notable ones, for example, Shaggydog … from our hometown. They played in South by in 2016 and were the first Indonesian representatives to come here. There's also Milledenials from Bali, they played in Primavera [Sounds] last year, And then there’s Denisa who played in Roadburn last year as well. I guess, like, coming out of our archipelago, it's really nice to see even our own peers doing the same thing as what we're doing.

Do you feel a sort of pressure to represent Indonesia while you’re here?

Sentana: Not really, we’re not government sponsored anyway.

For the people who are just discovering you, what are you hoping to bring to them when they see you live for the first time?

Sentana: Energy, lots and lots of energy, and circle [mosh] pits.

What do you hope to take back home with you from your in-person South by Southwest experience?

Sentana: Maybe new songs, inspiration. We’re going to embark on our two-week long tour across America, so I’m pretty sure there’s going to be lots and lots of things to write about.

You can follow Grrrl Gang on Instagram and TikTok and stream their music on Spotify and Apple Music.

This interview has been minimally edited for length and clarity.