Surabaya is a city on the eastern coast of Java Island, Indonesia. Located on the edge of the harbour, its air is barren and its heat scorching, Thee Marloes freshens the city up like an oases on its arid land. Amid an ever-busy city, the band that was formed in 2020 emerges as an escape space that offers a packed, soul/pop repertoire reeking of melancholia and memories of the past.
The pulse of Thee Marloes beats from the heart of the guitarist, Sinatrya Dharaka. Sinatrya wrote songs for Thee Marloes as a slow pause after a long day of work. He concocted Marloes’ music by borrowing the spirits of soul, funk, and reggae bands who were the world’s prima donna in the late 60s until the early 70s. The majority of Motown and Treasure Isle Records roster became the DNA of Thee Marloes’ musical inspiration. Musical scores written by Sinatrya were merely songs that will never be sung. It was until he met Tommy Satwick, the drummer of Thee Marloes, who then turned those scattered fragments into a song. And eventually he encountered Natassya Sianturi, the vocalist and piano who made their music livelier and more colorful.
After releasing two singles called “Nanti” and “Love Potion”, and performing from one stage to another, later in mid 2023, Thee Marloes will release two new singles in 7” vinyl format with Big Crown Records, a record label based in New York. In their next songs, Thee Marloes will try to experiment both with sounds and musical nuances. They are working hard to achieve an archaic sound, an original tune with an atmosphere similar to the bands that inspired them.
Their musical inspiration extends, stretching from RnB/ sweet soul groove like The Fuzz, to RZA beat ; a marriage between classic funk and hip hop breaks with James Jamerson’s catchy bass-line. Two singles titled “Midnite Hotline” and “Beri Cinta Waktu” will one day become the ultimate musical manifestation of Thee Marloes, before launching a full-length debut album prepared to welcome the next year.