Written by Amal Murni & a collaboration with Jaz
Perfect Scums is a force to be reckoned with sonically, and yet, they are those introverts you see at gatherings or gigs who would rather stay near a wall or the corner of a room. The band from an outsider's point of view is more or less enigmatic but it is because of that factor that we at Kepala Seni are eager to introduce to the world on who they are and how they came to be. So, we have reached out to the band for today's Spotlight segment and the frontman, Jaz was kind enough to give us the details on Perfect Scums' journey from the beginning to now. Sit back and enjoy the 4 minutes read on Brunei's alternative synth-rock band from Seria that consists of vocalist and rhythm guitarist Malai Jazly, lead guitarist Afiq Azmi/ Kai, bassist Alley Joffrey, and drummer Theophilus Changat.
Backstory
"It all began in a high-school prom in 2009. Theo and myself (Jaz) were going to play as a band but we didn't have members. It was pretty much just an idea from the top of our heads. It was our final year in said school, we should probably do something memorable. Theo brought in Alley and our friend Sam, who were our juniors at that time. Kai didn't come into the picture until 2010 when we were in pre-uni. He was in the same school as us, but he was involved with a metal band at that time. That was the year we went from a supposed one-night prom band, to writing songs and playing shows. We were just 4 friends from the same school who all moved to the same pre-uni, and seeing as how we all knew each other and happened to play music, and share a mutual love for certain genres, we thought why the hell not. It's not like we were doing anything else with our time."
Perfect Scums on Their Evolving Sound
"Our sound is ever-changing with each reincarnation of the band. We like to explore genres, mix them up, and just see what happens. There is no text book to these things, and we were never formally taught. So we just do what we feel like. One moment, we're a grunge band, the next we do electro funk, then to funk, alternative, etc etc the possibilities are endless. We try not to put a cap on what we can do or shouldn't do. We've come to a point where the concept of genre has been blurred. We don't think about it. We just do. Sometimes I feel half hearted about it. I wish we had more consistency when it comes to our sound, but at the same time, I'm kinda glad we don't. That way we can pretty much do whatever we want, and people would expect that out of us; an unexpected sound coming from us. This chameleon-like state that the band adopted I think gave us a chance to truly express what we feel like, and translate these feelings into sonics. Like a mixtape, or a flash drive of songs you play in your car, or a Spotify playlist. Some of these collections of songs are just so stark in terms of mood between each song. One moment you're on idk Metallica, the next you're on Celine Dion. I guess the band's music is kinda like that... Stark from each other."
The Lyricism
"Lyrically we go about our writing process like soliloquies. We see what's in front of us, we feel what's happening around us and we ponder upon it. Whatever it is. We take a subject and just explore it. Lyrically, we like to use a lot of symbols, mostly due to censorship here. But we didn't want to scrutinise the song's message, so incidentally we created this unclear landscape of what we're trying to say throughout our songs. Especially with the streaming platforms where censorship doesn't count, the whole "symbolic" thing just became a thing we do. But this allows us to also be more direct now. Which is fine. I think we should be more direct with some of our songs. I think we're pretty confusing from a listener's perspective.
...Having said that, I guess that's what our little quartet is trying to express. Confusion. Everything can be confusing, everything is subjective, everything can be questioned. Down to the core, regardless of subject, we're always talking about being confused, or being unsure, or being sure but also acknowledging the possibility of being wrong about something. Take what you will from this information. I don't get it either. We just go with how we feel."
Perfect Scums as a Whole
"In a nutshell, I guess one could say we're just 4 dudes who've known each other since forever, who listen to a lot of music, were bored out of our minds and a lot to say. With each passing year, we try to do something new. It's no longer just music anymore. It's all about an art concept. It's a whole package. The music needs to come with the visuals, both need to match a mood for an album. The art that we practiced for years now just feels larger than what we intended, in terms of what we can do creatively.
...We try (WE TRY) to create an experience, rather than just songs. And we hope some how some way we've accomplished that. And if we haven't, well, we got our whole lives. I don't see any sign of stopping. It's become a part of us. And we are lucky to have a small and humble fan base of individuals who support us, and like what we do, and who "get it". It's become an intimate relationship between us, and the listeners, and vice versa. And when we get the chance to know some of our audiences, and hear their stories, it actually becomes inspiring. Because everyone has unique experiences, and there are those that obviously some of us will not feel. This let's us feel those experiences, and translate it, and hit a larger spectrum of subjects we weren't familiar with. In a way, it's become music that we felt, to music what they felt. And that's great. I mean as people, in the end of the day, we're all on the same enormous boat. We're singing songs about what's going on in the boat."
More on Perfect Scums:
YouTube VEVO: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrs9z20Vzq5wx47ca92T8Dg
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PerfectScums/ Instagram: @perfectcums
Twitter: @perfectscums Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/46tPCJLQUitLi8hF3bILEj
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