Elephant Kind Have “More Time” to Shine
Two years isn’t a short period of time: it’s a full master’s program, half a presidential term, and a period for newborn babies to turn into toddlers taking their first steps. For Indonesian band Elephant Kind, that’s the amount of time it took to formulate their latest record. More Time, which dropped on March 27, arrived almost exactly seven years after their last full-length album, The Greatest Ever. But this release isn’t just a product of time. It’s also a culmination of their journey to and around London.
Headed back to their hometown of Jakarta, the trio — vocalist-cum-guitarist Bam Mastro, drummer Bayu Adisapoetra, and bassist Kevin Septanto — wastes no more time introducing their new music. In between a listening party and album showcase in the Indonesian capital, Elephant Kind sat down with EnVi via Zoom to talk about their journey creating this album.
More Time In (and Out of) the Studio
More Time isn’t simply a comeback project or an album for album’s sake. It’s a result of continuous exploration, shaping and creating, refining and redefining. As the band explored London’s uncharted territory following their move in 2022, every single move and pinpoint informed the making of this record. Over 60 demos were created as they regularly moved in and out of the recording studio, three to four times a week. Each one was then performed live on stage as the band played 30-40 shows with Sofar Sounds, which Kevin described as their R&D (research and development) process.
“I believe the songs that we release specifically in this album is the best work that we’ve done for the past three years. People resonated with these songs, and that’s what makes this record so special,” Kevin reminisced. “It’s not just about making a comeback or simply releasing an album because we haven’t done it for the past seven years. Between all those processes and our homecoming to Jakarta, it feels serendipitous, because of this clarity telling us it’s the right time to share this body of work.”
Billed as a synthesis of the band’s tug-of-war between “the sprawling chaos of Jakarta and the introspective quiet of London,” More Time delivers this dichotomy in different ways. Best exemplifying this are the coupling openers, “Emotion” and “Plan.” “Emotion” immediately places listeners amid these two worlds as the track itself seemingly splits in two — the first half a Grace Jones-esque neo-soul that accentuates the brassy timber of Bam’s voice, the second a layer of harmonies and funky, bouncy synths that pulls a page from Tame Impala’s playbook.
“Plan” follows with a more upbeat extension of the previous track’s interiority, translating it into actionable lyrics and a funkier groove. Approaching the end, it slips into a techno-sounding slot that seemingly utilizes one of the most sampled recordings, Clyde Stubblefield’s improvised drum break from James Brown’s “Funky Drummer.” (You might recognize the beat slowed down as the drum line from George Michael’s “Freedom! ‘90,” N.W.A.’s “Fuck Tha Police,” Sinéad O’Connor’s “I Am Stretched On Your Grave,” or even on tempo from the opening theme of The Powerpuff Girls.) These songs capture a contrasting rollercoaster of unpredictability, “merging chaos and calm in a way that still feels cohesive and natural,” as the band would describe.
That same essence is not lost as the preceding track “Exactly What I Need” takes on a more radio-ready veneer. “Hooked” echoes that sound — unsurprisingly, since Bam formulated this song à la Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean,” one of his longtime inspirations. “I failed horribly,” he admitted with a self-deprecating chuckle, “but that allowed me to sound like myself, which turned it into my favorite on the album.” The song does exactly that: grapple first-timers into the darker, more experimental side of alt-pop employed in the next crooning.
This one’s Kevin’s personal top pick. “The Ability to Listen Before You Speak” feels very introspective, almost as if we’re intruding on the band’s personal reflective moments and thoughts, but never in an unsettling way. There’s a spatial ambiance that makes it really cool to listen to while driving in the middle of the night — at least for the bassist. It would take a longer journey down the tracklist, though, before you’d find Bayu’s favorite.
More Time Together
Much has changed since the band’s genesis in 2014. A quartet’s down to a trio; even then the personnel hasn’t been the same. The band has gone a long way from Bam’s final project while studying at Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, but one thing remained the same.
“The premise of Elephant Kind when we started it 12 years ago is that it’s like being in a high school art project,” explained Bam. “There’s no strict direction, no one’s going to stop you from doing whatever you want, and everyone’s having fun. And this album, by far, has reflected that the most.”
It’s also evident sonically. Pinpointing a singular genre of More Time is an impossible and redundant task. The record blends hip hop, house, rock, eastern, dance, and that’s to mention just a few. Discovering the UK’s music styles in real time, many of which aren’t present in Indonesia, also shapes this record’s distinct sound. With each festival, concert, and even parties attended, the band’s perspective and tastes expanded — shifted, even.
Every listen warrants a new discovery, such as how “This Feeling” in all its emptiness reveals a breathy intimacy. How “So Many Dayz” has no perceivable verse-chorus structure, but the balladic groove is enough to carry listeners through for it to feel like a complete, albeit concise, song. Or, how “Love Scene” unfolds like an actual love scene, with peaks and valleys and floaty vocals that emulate cries of pleasure.
It’s probably the result of all three members’ hands-on process in creating the album, acting as composer and lyricist for the entire 12 tracks. More Time is nothing if not collaborative; after all, the move to London rendered them an island, having only one another to rely on. “It’s kind of like being on Love Island. But we get to know each other a little bit more, even after years of making music and playing shows together,” Bam said. “It’s a challenge at first to convince everyone that this part I made is actually amazing, but that’s where connections happen.”
“It seems like only business, but then along the way, the creative process almost demands you to get to know one another personally, the good and bad,” he continued. “We’ve seen the worst and best in each of us, and it shows in the album.” A quick skim through the lyrics would expose this: they’re not shy toward the sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll life, but remain anchored by a heart that’s deeply personal, moving, and intimate.
“I Love The Cold Weather but Keep The Sun Around,” Bayu’s favorite, exemplifies this. The storytelling is succinct, told mostly through repeated phrases, but feels endearing and somewhat relatable. Still, even if it’s not, the groovy rhythm is enough to get you on your feet when it comes on in the club, a huge part of why the drummer loves this song so much.
More Time for the Fans
“I’m not vain enough to play my own music at a party and make everyone listen to it,” Bam admitted. “But then, someone played my song — our song — at an event one time, and I was like, ‘You know what? Keep playing it.’ Because I’m proud of it. I don’t see the flaws anymore because I loved making it, and I love the final result now.”
It’s one of the reasons why More Time’s release is celebrated with “Party of a Livetime,” a two-part album showcase in two of Jakarta’s most monumental nightlife venues. It comes as a natural evolution of the band’s music ecosystem. “I used to be a broadcaster, and Bayu a radio DJ. We use our acumens in a way that helps elevate the band, not just from an artistic but also a business perspective. And one of our goals with this is to uplift Indonesia’s music scene and industry.”
It began at ZODIAC, a small club in Senopati that has become a longtime fixture among the lifestyle of the city’s urbanites, on March 26, 2026. The second part continues on May 7 at KRAPELA, a modular space in the city’s bustling southside that has hosted everything from art exhibitions to live music. “It’s not just a collaboration between artists,” Bam explained. “It’s also between venues and art practitioners.”
And, once their hometown has had its share, Elephant Kind is giving the same treatment to their British fans. The “Livetime UK Tour 2026” starts in Brighton, making pit stops in ten cities throughout September, before concluding in Glasgow. It’s a chance for the band to showcase this new sound that reflects their roots while pushing beyond it. “Indonesian music can stand on a global stage — not by fitting in, but by offering something new that makes the world open up space for it.”
One thing to make sure if you’re planning on attending is to experience the record in full beforehand. You might be tempted to start with highest-streamed samples like “Man Enough” or the titular track “More Time,” but the intended way is to enjoy it in the order of the tracklist. It’s the best way to understand the album for first-timers, while revealing to repeat listeners new details with every subsequent play.
Spend more time with Elephant Kind by following their journey through X, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and official website. More Time is also available on all music streaming platforms.
Ready to discover other musicians making their unique voices heard? Check out our exclusive interviews with AMPERS&ONE and Sophie Powers!
