Wandering through a secret garden wrapped in mist, white attire flowing down your body whilst dozing off to reality, Commemorate\u2019s self-titled album weaves a cinematic atmosphere, inviting listeners to conjure vivid worlds with ease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Commemorate is a Kuala Lumpur based band that consists of 5 members: Sasha Ningkan (guitar and vocals), Irman Hilmi (guitar), Tariq Hamzah (guitar), Wan Hafiz (bass) and Muhammad Naqi (drums). The band formed in August 2023 though Irman and Tariq were previously in a band called Kuala Lumpur Post-Harmonic Quintet 15 years ago. While recording their songs, they decided to try new songs which formed the earlier songs for Commemorate. Then, the duo recruited Naqi and Hafiz, Sasha joined later under a recommendation from a mutual friend. The band started writing songs in August 2023 and started recording in July 2024. By January 2025, Commemorate released two singles named \u201cSlow Down\u201d and \u201cP.S. (Please Stay)\u201d. In April 2025 they surprised listeners with their debut album consisting of seven songs. They call upon a sound that is at once mesmerizing and weightless\u2014guitars that ache and soar through reverb, vocals that linger like mist over water, and melodies that swell, break, and vanish like memories you can almost touch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Commemorate dwells inspiration from infamous bands such as Slowdive and My Bloody Valentine. \u201cFor vocals I\u2019m fascinated by The Marias, how her vocals are very soft and soothing\u201d Sasha mentions. Though despite their inspirations, band members except for Sasha has been in previous bands within a melting pot of genres varying from emo, post-punk, Hafiz for instance has been in a screamo band since university. Leaving the previous genres behind, Commemorate would like to play songs that are simple yet effective in meaning. Albeit the formal experience enriched in varying genres, Commemorate now meets in the middle: Dreampop. To simply explain it to someone who doesn\u2019t listen to music, dreampop is a whirlwind of guitars and distortions with a blend of ethereal singing. Commemorate\u2019s music allows you to contemporarily move your body like there is no tomorrow. For band members except Sasha, they mentioned how it is about time for them to play something more laidback, meanwhile for vocalist Sasha the band acts as a different avenue of self-expression. Dreampop represents a notable departure for Sasha, whose background lies primarily in RnB and Jazz. Through Commemorate, she not only broadens her avenues of musical expression, but also formally introduces the electric guitar into her repertoire\u2014an instrument that enables her to convey both emotional intensity and personal resilience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Amongst the songs Slow Down is collectively a favorite by the band. They were recording the song in Irman\u2019s house and downstairs lies a Thai food festival with roaring sounds. The song talks about literally slowing down, they are most proud of it as the song came down naturally, \u201cOne of the best songs that I contributed my whole life\u201d Irman says. As for Sasha, her favorite songs are Away and Lights. Being the songwriter, she frequently mentions her personal life. Away talks about being away from home which is really heartfelt for Sasha. Meanwhile Lights takes a sentimental value wishing Sasha\u2019s late brother could come back but having to face the reality of it\u2019s impossibility. Though in its entirety, it\u2019s difficult to pinpoint a favorite lyric as it involves Sasha\u2019s personal life. \u201cAll of the bands that I started in my life are a form of therapy.” Irman mentions, the band also agrees, being an outlet for them to express themselves. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The band was quite nameless for a while, though the word commemorate started appearing in their group chat and the band collectively agreed that it was the right name because they wanted to celebrate life and love through music. To commemorate their happenings, to celebrate. The band would like listeners to feel grateful, to reflect back and ensure that it\u2019s okay to feel a certain way and especially if you\u2019ve dealt with loss, as losing someone is very difficult. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Commemorate” is now streaming across all digital platforms and available on vinyl via La Munai Records.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Wandering through a secret garden wrapped in mist, white attire flowing down your body whilst dozing off to reality, Commemorate\u2019s self-titled album weaves a cinematic atmosphere, inviting listeners to conjure vivid worlds with ease. Commemorate is a Kuala Lumpur based band that consists of 5 members: Sasha Ningkan (guitar and vocals), Irman Hilmi (guitar), Tariq …<\/p>\n