Pink Floyd Had a Great Gig in the Sky, So 25dB Had Theirs in a Lecture Hall.
- Raja Nurdini Akmar Atirah
- 2 days ago
- 6 min read
A very fun fact: Did you know our very own UNM campus has its own local pop-punk band, 25dB? Our Music writer, Atirah, attended their Analysis Paralysis EP launch and spoke with the band about their music, inspirations, and what they have in store next.
While everyone was having fun with April Fools on Instagram, local pop-punk band 25dB decided to go against the tradition and announce something big (and legitimate): an EP launch party exclusively on the UNM campus.
Hearing about the show, I stepped into the venue hours before it started to be greeted by familiar faces of 25dB: Zu (guitarist), Irsyad (frontman), Darren (drummer) and Hanna (bassist).
Although it was still soundcheck, the room filled up with more and more people, and soon completely swamped within the next hour.
When the clock struck 7:30pm, the show began. Irsyad opened the night by thanking the audience for coming to the show, sharing that the performance also marked a significant milestone as part of his Final Year Project. His words carried a sincere sense of gratitude as he introduced the first song of the night: “As You Should”, an upbeat song written by himself.
Darren gave the cue, and soon the sound of instruments electrifyingly filled the hall, immediately leaving the audience in awe at first listen. Through its lyrics and the members’ expressions, the meaning behind it became obvious: a story of being led on, and the romantic frustrations from it.
You confuse me
Endless cycles of my patience,
wearing thin and
wearing me out again.
The melodies felt both comfortingly familiar and refreshingly new at the same time. “As You Should” captures the perplexity of an unreciprocated love, presenting it for what it is, without any sugarcoating.
The final strum rang out, met with relieved looks across the band members’ faces. Before continuing the set, Irsyad handed the spotlight over to guitarist, Zu, to introduce the second song of the night: “Kill Me”.
The atmosphere darkened almost instantly. And to everyone’s surprise, 25dB pivoted into a much heavier sound, embracing an almost hard rock edge for their second performance. A combination of funky riffs, and lyrics that feels like a poem.
I could die,
Go away.
To the light,
In a maze.
Zu, screaming Kill Me over and over again, successfully seized the room’s attention.
As 25dB continued showcasing their versatility across genres, they wondered what kind of song the band prepared next. The answer came from Irsyad himself:
“Let's do some covers, shall we?”
The mood quickly lightened as he asked the audience about their favourite Fall Out Boy song, before Hanna jokingly called someone a poser for only liking the band ‘popular’ tracks.
Back to their original programme, the band introduced their EP’s third track “Resident Nervous Wreck”, or “RNW”, which was factually inspired by ‘the orange guy’ from the movie Inside Out 2: Anxiety.
As your Resident Nervous Wreck
It’s my duty to serve no purpose
And wallow in my self deprived elation
The song speaks aloud about the paralysis that often comes with anxiety and procrastination. The feeling of wanting to do something, but becoming so mentally overwhelmed that it stops you from functioning ‘normally’. It captures the frustrating state of avoiding action, just because just thinking about it drains you out. Even if it's something you really care about.
Bassist, Hanna, took turns to introduce their last song from Analysis Paralysis. In her words, “Pink Elephants” is a song about yearning.
Am I there in your future?
Or am I just nothing,
but a distant memory?
25dB ended their set with a song very familiar to emo fans called: Dear Maria, Count Me In. As the members unplugged their instruments and leave the stage, the crowd chanted one thing in unison,
“Irsyad! Irsyad! Irsyad!”
Voices came together in their effort to make Irsyad do an encore. Hearing the crowd’s enthusiasm, he picked up the guitar and got back into the spotlight. Strumming the chords to a classic Insomniacks song, Sempurna.
“I’m not going to continue this song if you guys don't come up.”
Irsyad then called for his dear friends to join him onstage to finish the song together. With the audience singing along in unison, the night finally came to a close with smiles and laughter.
Following the launch party, I had the pleasure to interview Irsyad himself, the aforementioned guitarist and vocalist of 25dB, who is also a graduating International Communication Studies with Performing Arts student at UNM. He turned this mini album into his Final Year Creative Project.
History of the Band
Irsyad: While I was in Year 1, me and Hanna (Bassist) were playing in separate bands. In 2024, we decided to form a band with Darren (drummer) and another friend, called Light Rail Transit or LRT. As Hanna graduated, and I took a gap year, LRT was not really a thing for a while, until I met Zu. We played in a Malay Indie Rock band for quite a few times, which was pretty fun. So one day, I just asked him “Hey, you wanna be in an actual band together?”And the rest is history.
25dB, Why the name?
Irsyad: This is my favourite question to answer. The meaning changes every time but the origin behind it was that one day, I went for breakfast. While queuing to pay, the guy in front of me had a 25 dollar bill. Which shocked me, of course. And then it struck.
25 Dollar Breakfast. 25dB.
At that time, we didn't really have a name yet so I texted my bandmates about the situation. And now, as you can see, we ended up using that name.
Analysis Paralysis: Inspirations, and The Story Behind Its Release.
Irsyad: Our inspirations, even the name of the EP, are just from our lack of organisation, really. Me and my bandmates, we tend to get stuck in writing. Like, we’ll often have a cool riff or a cool lyric, but never really finish it as a whole song. I am a perfectionist and often overanalyse things.
So when I told my lecturer about the creative block I had while curating this project, I realised I had an ‘Analysis Paralysis.’
As for the EP, it consists of four songs that are sonically different yet relate to the album name.
The combination of songs itself is an Analysis Paralysis, in a sense. With four different songs and styles, we are trying to figure out our sound. Like, “Where do we go from here?”
The Final Encore: The B in 25dB stands for Bus7.
Irsyad: The story behind the encore was that I was accepting song requests from the audience. As I was about to play Wonderwall by Oasis, I realised I was in the wrong tuning. I just strummed my guitar and started singing Sempurna by Insomniacks subconsciously. Then I remembered that my friends, from the band Bus7, just performed this at MyFest the previous day. So I said,
“I would only continue this song if Bus7 comes on right now.”
It’s funny because I was joking about letting Bus7 be the opening band, but at least they got to close it instead. The fact that I got to end such a meaningful night with my closest friends made it so special.
At last, A Night with Good Company.
Irsyad: I still can't fully process everything that happened. Although there was a lot to be desired from the planning itself, I guess it did its purpose. To entertain a sizable, but meaningful crowd. So I think that was a really cool moment.
And close friends are one thing, but my lecturer (Ms Melisza) too. The one helping me get out of the rut I was in, and her being there at the showcase definitely meant a lot. In a sense, everyone who was in that room—they are a part of this project.
They made it happen.
The Analysis Paralysis EP Launch Party was, without a doubt, a huge success. Not only because of the band’s electrifying performances or the number of audience, but also because of how they managed to touch everyone’s hearts in one single night. Through raw emotions and passionate musicianship, 25dB marked their debut with a memorable and promising start.
Their journey may have begun in lecture halls, but who knows where it leads them next?
Analysis Paralysis is now available on Spotify.
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