Every debut album carries weight. For some bands, it becomes the defining statement that introduces their sound to the world. For others, it marks a beginning that hints at bigger things to come. For CISCO, Vol. 2 is both. It arrives years after their earlier EP, a time when the group was still exploring their sonic identity. Now, with Vol. 2, they present not only a fuller body of work but also a vision that feels deliberate, layered, and unapologetically theirs.
As the band themselves put it, Vol. 2 is
a 37-minute jam packed culmination of musical varieties and elements that each of our personnel love, a blend of funkiness, city pop vibe, straight gritty rock, and everything else in between sandwiched neatly with each respective track.
It is an apt description. The record flows like a carefully crafted mixtape, where each song carries its own mood yet connects seamlessly with the next. From moments of funk-infused playfulness to darker shades of alternative rock, the album moves with confidence. The production feels sharper compared to their earlier works, with textures that are more considered and arrangements that feel both daring and intentional. For vocalist Syed Faiz, he reflects that the difference is clear.
In a way, our past releases were sketches, and Vol. 2 is closer to the full painting.
The growth is audible in every track. While their EP had the raw charm of experimentation, this debut album feels like a canvas coloured with precision. There is space for pop immediacy, yet it never abandons the unpredictability of alternative music. The songs are filled with layers, bridges that do more than transition, and outros that linger long after the music stops. Vol. 2 is not an album that rushes to conclusions. It lets listeners sit in its contrasts, offering both clarity and confusion, both light and shadow.
The central theme running through Vol. 2 is change. It is an album that does not shy away from life’s messiness, instead choosing to reflect it honestly. The band explains that they kept coming back to the idea of duality in this debut album.
These songs do not pretend to have neat answers. Instead, they lean into the mess of being human.
That willingness to embrace contradictions makes Vol. 2 resonate deeply. It is music that feels alive with tension, reminding us that joy and sorrow, doubt and hope, fragility and strength can all coexist.
Redefining Rebellion
Listeners might be surprised to find rebellion woven into the album, but not in the way one might expect. Syed Faiz quotes that,
Rebellion in Vol. 2 is not just loud guitars or defiant lyrics. It is more intimate than that. For us, rebellion is choosing to be vulnerable in a world that rewards masks.
This interpretation gives Vol. 2 an emotional edge. It refuses to conform to stereotypes of anger or chaos. Instead, it redefines rebellion as the courage to be unfiltered, to speak truthfully, and to build something real even when it defies expectation.
A Cinematic Reference
One of the standout moments of the album is Hancur Rapuh, a track that carries a film inspiration. The song draws from Mamat Khalid’s beloved film Man Laksa, particularly a scene where the protagonist is suddenly pushed into a role he never asked for. That sense of being caught off guard yet forced to carry the story became the seed for the song’s first verse. Syed Faiz tells,
“We flipped the structure by opening the track with mimicry instead of saving it for the end. That choice was not random. It was meant to create a paradox, turning an ending into a beginning, closure into an introduction.”
Like the film that inspired it, Hancur Rapuh balances humour, irony, and authenticity. On the surface, it feels delicate, but underneath it carries weight and resilience. It is a song that perfectly encapsulates the spirit of Vol. 2.
Although Vol. 2 is their debut album, it does not feel like a tentative first step. Instead, it lays down a foundation. As Faiz put it,
Vol. 2 feels like it has laid a foundation where people can finally point to a track and say, that is CISCO Band.
The album embraces both experimentation and identity, showing a band that is curious but also confident in their voice. It is an album that carries both tension and release, both polish and imperfection, reminding listeners that growth does not mean avoiding contradictions, but embracing them.
Vol. 2 is a debut that arrives fully formed. It captures the energy of rebellion, the complexity of change, and the beauty of chaos, all within thirty seven minutes of music that never loses focus. By the time the final track ends, listeners are not in the same place as when they began. And perhaps that is the greatest measure of success for a debut record. Not only did they release a debut album, they have made a statement that Malaysian music can be honest, ambitious, and unforgettable.
As a listener, I was reminded of Malaysia’s indie wave in the 2000s. There are echoes of a melodic charm and the unfiltered sincerity that lies within the genre. Yet CISCO Band is not repeating the past. They are drawing from it while carving out their own ground.
The compositions are strong, particularly the way tracks build towards their conclusions. If anything, the production at times lets the instrumentals overpower Faiz’s vocals, a voice that deserves more space to shine. Even so, the overall album stands as proof that Malaysian musicians are more than capable of producing work that is ambitious, layered, and world-class.
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