Download || Bunkface- Full album - "Lesson of the Season"

Bunkface are Sam (vocals, guitar), Youk (bass, vocals), Paan (guitar, vocals) and Biak (drums). Formed in 2005, the guys recently released an EP titled Lesson Of The Season, a six-track mini album filled with pop punk goodness.

The four Malaysians, who look younger than their age of 18 to 21 years old, started jamming together in school and later came together as a band. Take a listen to Bunkface and it’s clear where their influences lie. “We were all into punk and liked bands like Sum 41 and Green Day,” Sam confesses. The name Bunkface itself is taken from a song from Sum 41 titled ‘Crazy Amanda Bunkface’. After a period of considering names like Endless, Wicked Freak and Total Damage, they came to a consensus following Biak’s suggestion of Bunkface.

Bunkface’s first foray into public domain saw them participating in Blast Off!, Astro’s battle of the bands competition. While they didn’t win, they continued to play at gigs and friends’ parties every chance they had in order to make a name for themselves. So far their brand of alternative punk rock has been making the rounds on local radio stations like Fly FM, and the band is as eager as ever to play at gigs to help promote their EP. It’s no easy feat as the release of their EP was a DIY project–Lesson Of The Season is self-released and only took one month to complete. “Yeah, we were quick on finishing this EP. We recorded it in 21:05 Studio, which is owned by JD of Pop Shuvit. Working with him was really great,” Sam says. More surprising is the fact that all members learnt to play their musical instruments by themselves.



Tracklisting:


Sam writes the lyrics and melody of all of Bunkface’s songs, and then tells his bandmates that the song should sound a certain way. Each member then works on it and comes up with a mix that everyone likes and agrees on. Is it really that simple and easy as they make it sound? Apparently, yes. After all, the most important thing about a band is the chemistry between all members. In Bunkface’s case, Sam might be the most vocal but it’s evident that the members have a rapport that only four guys who share a large chunk of their lives together can have, bonding through their love for music and their ultimate muse: girls.

Asking them what their favourite song is, they reply in unison that it’s ‘SillyLily’. “Lily is a special friend of the band,” Sam reveals. “No, she’s Sam’s special friend,” Biak interjects. The band roars in laughter, each cheekily teasing the other over a crush on that special girl. Bunkface has a music video to accompany the song and it captures the band’s spirit of fun with its comical animations.

The band are currently in the middle of recording their second EP. Determined to release it by 2009, they have already released two singles on their MySpace–a Malay song titled ‘Situasi’, which has received over 45,000 plays on MySpace, and ‘Bunk Anthem’, a song with such catchy lyrics that you feel an irresistible urge to sing along. But why not release an album? “An album is a big step, and we feel with EPs you can still split your songs up and give fans a little taste of the band,” explains Sam. “We’ll release our second EP, make a boom, and when the time is right release an album that will hit platinum on the sales charts.”

Grand plans for young boys. After three years of being together, Bunkface have grown up and so have their musical influences–their fave bands now include Fall Out Boy and Panic at the Disco. However, they insist that they prefer listening to Malaysian bands, and list One Buck Short, Meet Uncle Hussain, Pop Shuvit, Hujan and Bittersweet as their top picks.

In many ways, the boys of Bunkface are still young and it shows in their interview. The three other members are shy in giving their opinions and leave most of the speaking to Sam. At times, they fumble to find the correct words. But it’s this naiveté’ that works to their advantage as it gives them a sunny outlook on life and on the local music scene–which in turn, reflects on their music. There’s no stopping Bunkface as they continue to churn out simple and catchy pop punk nuggets that they’re so fond of. As they sing on ‘Bunk Anthem’, “Don’t stop/Gonna make you stand up/Try to make it to the top/ Don’t give it up!”

Track Listing :

01 - Tired Mission
02 - Silly Lily
03 - Highschool Rocker
04 - Fine
05 - Land of Hope
06 - Last Minute
07 - Our Way
08 - Bunk Anthem
09 - Sitiasi
10 - Hipper Killer


Download || Bunkface- Full album - "Lesson of the Season"