My first experience with Porcelane dates back all the way to 2011, with Daud, their drummer. On one fateful day at SK Jalan Tiga, Bandar Baru Bangi, I was called in by my former music teacher to play a show at our school. I was 16 then and thought “ You know, it would be pretty cool to play at my own school, so why not?”

When the teacher introduced me to the band, I met a 12-year-old Daud Ho behind the drum kit, and thought, “Damn, this kid must have the chops if he’s leading the whole band — let’s see what happens!” We knocked the set out of the park, albeit to a bunch of literal children, but we did have a lot of fun playing our hearts out. This moment would be an important kickoff because fast-forward 11 years later and I received a DM from Daud.

I was intrigued yet again! What a surprise, a long-time hometown friend reaches out, and we both have bands at the same time in our lives again. As the months rolled, I also had a chance to meet Adam when he came by to see our set at the now-defunct Garage Studio in September 2022. A month later, I was officially acquainted with Sandro and Ajith when Mascot finally got a chance to share a stage with Porcelane at The Bee under Darren Teh’s “Hello I’m New” gig series.

And here we are, months later, at the advent of their debut EP. Following the success of their 2022 single “Give Me Something to Sing About”, Porcelane serves us with a 5-track debut EP Not Dead Just Asleep that “takes listeners on a thought-provoking journey into the core of Porcelane’s creative vision of romanticising healing.”

As we enter the EP, Dro and Daud greet us with a mean straight bassline and a thumping kick buildup, as if to signal the beginning of something new and exciting. Mr. Nair comes in with a hot lead line that becomes the hook of the track while Adam narrates his frustration with a distant other. Off the bat, I like that they chose “Resonance” because it’s always important, in my opinion, to start a rock record with a bang — and this track is nothing short of that. You’ll probably see circle pit runners and headbangers going off at their live shows with this track for sure. I would say, a strong start to the EP, as they set the tone for their 3-layer emo style in the first impression.

In “Haywired” Adam’s vocals take the centre stage with catchy and melodic lines: “I don’t even care if you burn some bridges,” with the interesting use of a stutter effect on the title line. Ajith also comes in with a pretty fun riff as the main lead line, but compared to “Resonance” this track has a more formulated feel in the first half of the song but loosens up toward the breakdown at the end. Overall a decent number, but could use a bit more spontaneity and exploration.

“This Place” caught my ear immediately with Ajith’s heavy crunchy guitars, and then immediately came in with his baritone vocals, opening the verse with “This place unlocks a haunting past / The haze of nostalgia forever surreal.” And that chorus is absolutely sublime! When talking about the track, Ajith said he wanted to “get a wall of sound from the guitars and get that Title Fight scream-sing style singing in the chorus.” I can feel the honesty and the comforting nature of this song delivered very well. Bonus points for Ajith yelling his vocal cords out, I’m a sucker for that kind of stuff.

As Sandro eloquently put it, “This song is about losing a friend to death.” The track draws you in with crushing lines like: “Nowhere to be seen in class / I can’t remember when I saw you last / Driving home at night, you never saw sunlight / Parents lost a child, but those tears were mine.”

Dro tells the tale of a fallen friend and chooses to say goodbye in this song as if it were the only way to gain closure. He coupled this with his harsh yell-style singing, and you feel as if he’s trying to get this weight off his chest. This emotional honesty and rumination of loss make you empathise with his pain and grieving. The melancholic choice of chords and heavily distorted guitar add to the atmosphere of sadness, making “The Last Goodbye” a well-executed, gut-wrenching, emotive piece. Props to Dro for choosing to write about personal experience, especially about grief and loss. It’s not an easy task.

In their final track “Redacted”, Daud opened the track with a nice exciting drum pattern. The track immediately starts on an upbeat feel in contrast to “The Last Goodbye.” Both Adam and Dro take the role of vocals, in this sonic plea to break free from addiction. Speaking to Adam, this song is a testament to those wanting to see a better end to addiction, something I resonate with. I personally love how this song sounds sonically, like an emo banger coated with summer anthem vibes. Bonus points for the mathy breakdown at the end too. Love the play in contrast, and hey, maybe this is what they meant by 3-layer emo? If that’s what it is, then I’m all for it.

I have to say, for a band that just got together last year, the amount of hustle and hard work these guys have put into this band is nothing short of commendable. From putting out a single, to now having been on radio, print, and even scoring a brand deal with Converse, no less. The boys of Porcelane have pushed the bar not just as a band, but as a group of passionate individuals. 

As their first proper packaged release, Porcelane have managed to cement a proper introduction to their 3-layer emo sound. This is important as a lot of newcomers fail to hit the mark on showcasing what makes their sound memorable and unique. Porcelane’s sound gives a blend of bands like Trophy Eyes, Movements, and Title Fight, just to name a few. Their blend also includes a mix of other emo sub-genre-inspired feels like Shoegaze and Pop Punk, further adding to the sound of Porcelane. 

Being that the EP was produced in-house by their very own Ajith Nair, I’d like to talk about some areas that could be improved. Now keep in mind, even though the EP was self-produced, the band had the help of Jorge Blanco Garcia of Klinik Studios on mixing and mastering. First up, the loud and clipped nature of the mix slightly takes away from certain elements of the mix to shine in a dynamic way. For most of the EP, Daud’s drums were a little too compressed. This takes away the impact and hit of his actual real-life playing — there’s a reason I nicknamed him “The Cymbal Breaker!” The guitar tones sculpted by Ajith were spot on for me, as the crunchy wall of sound really invokes that classic mid-2000s emo tone. Although, in some parts, more tempo correction and cleanup should have been applied to the guitar lines for a more finished presentation. The vocals sound good for the most part, again, this part could have shined more had the mixing been more dynamic, versus being clipped and loud.

Technical mumbo jumbo aside, Not Dead Just Asleep still manages to invoke deep emotions, and that is truly what matters the most. Art should be a reflection of the artist, a window into the soul, a medium you choose when words alone fail to convey complex emotions. As I’m writing this, “The Last Goodbye” is blasting on my speakers, and I get it, no, I feel it. I empathise with the pain in the track, the grip of addiction in “Redacted” and the need to run in “Resonance.” All the hype aside, what this EP really represents is what any good and honest art stems from, and that is catharsis. This isn’t just an EP, it’s an outlet for their pain, and if you listen closely, with intent, you’ll get it too.

Not Dead Just Asleep is now available on all major streaming platforms. Follow Porcelane on Instagram/Twitter @notsoporcelane.

Listen to the EP on Spotify: