sub:shaman and motifs are taking Singapore’s independent sounds to KEXP, joining the Seattle-based music platform’s first recording project in Asia. Filmed in Bali in partnership with AXEAN Festival, their sessions offer two distinct introductions to the local scene, spanning experimental rock, shoegaze, and dream pop.
For sub:shaman, the appearance doubles as a preview of their next chapter. Released on 4 November, their six-song session pairs familiar material with four new tracks, building on their return at Baybeats in 2024 after a five-year hiatus.
Recorded at Puri Bhagawan on 29 August, the set opens with ‘Maraschino Mist’ from their 2017 debut album, Apnea, before moving into ‘cheshire cat’, ‘choke well’, and ‘understanza’. The album’s title track provides another connection to their back catalogue, with ‘eat my tongue’ closing the session.
It is an introduction to a band whose music has always favoured unexpected turns. Elements of progressive and heavy rock collide with funky basslines, jazzy rhythms, and electronic flourishes, balancing intricate arrangements with an appetite for weight and dissonance. Chew Wei Shan, also known as weish, handles synth and vocals, alongside Isa Ong on guitar and vocals, Syahadi Samad on drums, and Mohamed Hanis on bass.
Viewers have picked up on both their distinctive sound and musicianship. “Love when I can’t categorize a band,” wrote YouTube user @FootFootYourPal, while @hippyjason commented: “Each one of them is a super tight, highly skilled musician.”
There is more on the way for those newly won over. In their own comment beneath the video, sub:shaman confirmed that the four new songs will arrive on major streaming platforms in December.
For motifs, the pull lies in the contrast between soft, wistful melodies and the weight of their guitars. Their blend of dream pop and shoegaze places Elspeth Ong’s airy vocals amid layers of reverb and distortion, giving their songs a warmth that can turn bittersweet. Beneath the haze, clear melodic hooks keep the music immediate.
Their five-song session traces that sound across their debut album, remember a stranger, and their more recent EP, If This House Was Bigger. Filmed at Locca Sea House on 28 August, it opens with ‘Aug 16’, moves through ‘hourglass’, ‘summersad’, and ‘remember a stranger’, then closes with ‘Maybe In Another Dream’. The two EP tracks bookend the set, connecting the band’s earlier material with newer reflections on adulthood, relationships, and loss.
That wistfulness has a particularly personal source in ‘Aug 16’. In an interview with Hear65, Elspeth revealed that she drew words from her family’s old debt letters to write the song, transforming their cold language into a story about regret and recognising a loss too late.
Recorded at Sigur Rós’ Sundlaugin Studios in Iceland, If This House Was Bigger emerged as the band navigated work, family, and the challenge of continuing to make music together. Those everyday pressures give their enveloping sound an emotional grounding, with songs that find room for both escape and reflection.
Both acts follow earlier Singaporean appearances by Subsonic Eye, who featured on KEXP’s Live at Home series in 2021 and visited its Seattle studio in 2022, and Sobs, who recorded a session during their 2023 US tour.
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