Notes from the past

LOCAL indie rock band Hayley’s Komet (also known as Hayko) has just released their second single Nota (1969) which debuted on Nov 25 last year, and is a tale of personal struggle.

Although practically every song has a profound meaning and explanation behind it, this new song from Hayko relates to the personal life of the songwriter – and frontman – Aniq Ammar Ekhwan, as he was in the midst of making a decision that would radically impact his life.

In a recent interview with Aniq, he revealed that he wrote the song at the age of 19 while he was struggling in life, and upset with people who do not value and respect generosity.

Aniq is the lead vocalist and third guitarist in the 2019-formed band, which also includes Adam on lead guitar, Musa on second guitar, Imran on bass, and Ehsan on the drum.

“Nota (1969) is regarded as a personal life narrative set in the past. The song’s lyrics were written by myself, whereas the music was composed by every member of Hayko,” Aniq told theSun.

“I wrote this song when I was 19 years old and couldn’t decide on a life path. At the same time, I was isolated by some people to an almost unbearable extent,” he added.

“People despised me because they thought I brought them misery and negativity. Until I burst into tears one night, holding a grudge against this ridiculous situation.”

Despite the fact that Aniq encountered so many challenges during that time, still, he wished to prove to everyone around him that life still goes on, and to never hold a grudge.

“What I wanted to convey through this song is not to retain a grudge or seek revenge, but to completely abandon all the past history and to carry on with life.”

He then concluded: “Most importantly, you must return to your rightful position. And now my life is so much simpler and more serene.”

Aniq went on to say that he first wrote the song’s lyrics in 2014, but didn’t intend for them to become a song at the time.

Prior to being given to Hayko for melodic adjustments, the song was primarily a simple melody with simple chords.

“At that particular time, I wrote it as my own personal journal. Then I started to realise that I was able to turn it into a song. So I preserved it in the archive until Hayley’s Komet was created in 2019 and I handed it over to them,” said Aniq.

Hayko’s efforts at producing to this single demonstrated how they decided to take things seriously, as they worked on the song – and other potential future releases – throughout the pandemic.

Aniq explained: “All processes for this song, like the guitar part, was recorded during the pandemic. But what makes it special is we did it in a ‘hybrid’ fashion, where all of us recorded [segments of] this single from home.

“Then, for the percussion and drum recording, we did it at Kashfy Studio located in Wangsa Maju while recording vocals, mixing, and mastering was done by Ardy Hamdan of NuBreax Studio.”

Regarding the artwork, Aniq stated that they chose to go with a a galactic setting. In the art for the single cover, we can see pieces of shattered spaceships, and every element has some significance.

“This EP’s theme will be space and the galaxy. All of the singles on this EP will feature space-themed artwork. In fact, the visual signifies that the individual in the spacesuit is returning to the past and must tackle the task by himself, as depicted in Nota(1969),” Aniq explained.

According to Aniq, Hayko will release another single later this year, bringing the total number of songs on their EP to nine by the end of the year.

Since each member of the band had previously played in a different band, Hayko’s path in the independent music industry has been quite remarkable, setting it apart from other performers.

Aniq, who is also a former member of Secret Of Dahlia and Thy Fall Ov Baghdad, remarked that the band’s primary objective was not to become “the greatest among the crowd”, but rather to fill out as many local gigs and show venues as possible.

Stream Hayko’s music now on Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, Sound Cloud, and also YouTube.

For more information on the band’s next show and music updates, visit their official social media pages on Instagram (@hayleyskometband) and Youtube channel (@hayleyskomet519).