Loetju.id - Virtual band hailing from Indonesia, G.A.T.E which consists of Junior a.k.a Juno Chapel (guitarist), Hana Takahashi (drummer), and Benjamin Waller (bassist) greets the listeners for the second time with their brand new single called “One Step at at Time”. Ben who wrote this song alongside Julien Fujiwara dan Claire de Lune, chronicles various life paths and choices that we have to face sometimes contradict our wishes and dreams.
In some instances, these life choices could lead us to completely new experiences that attract unexpected happiness and greatness. Juno’s tender vocal with the addition of Hana and Ben’s backing vocals blend well with mid-tempo alternative pop melodies that could spread cheerfulness all the way through.
Although having happy-go-lucky characteristics, the song is far from shallow as it contains wise messages from Ben’s personal experience. Ben used to be in a band with his older brother, Sena, before his brother had to move abroad to continue his study. “When Sena moved abroad, my musical activity was halted until I met Juno and Hana for this project. I used to find it hard to start again, but whatever I was and am going through must have some silver linings and unexpected adventure,” uttered Ben wisely.
Those experiences led Ben to have Julien Fujiwara and Claire de Lune on board to write this song together. Those three were college mates who found themselves going through various obstacles and it gave Ben inspiration to write “One Step at a time”. Juno and Hana had the pleasure to listen to Uncle Ben’s material and to their surprise, it contradicts the bassist’s usual playful and mischievous self. “We’re excited to share this song to our listeners. After we listened to Ben’s initial draft that shows his melancholic side, we thought that the message in this song is worth sharing and spreading to the music enthusiasts,” added Juno and Hana.
Uncle Ben who is also a culinary aficionado equates this song to an Indonesian street food dish called “nasi goreng gila” (roughly translated as crazy fried rice) as the meal is composed of various little elements that complement each other. Those elements could elevate the dining experience the more you bite into it. Ben believed that various challenges are a process that could lead us to eventual happiness.
This philosophy is also interpreted well by Sahid Permana and Rezza Rainaldy who created a single artwork for G.A.T.E with monotone colors. “This choice of monotonous colors signifies that life should not always be colorful. Sometimes we hit stagnancy, but it is not a bad thing. Sometimes we need that moment to reflect and use that as a milestone to move forward,” said Sahid Permana about the artwork.
Through this second single release, G.A.T.E hopes to interact and engage more with the listeners who welcomed them warmly during their debut with “Giants Among The Elders”. “We’re feeling excited and anxious at the same time. We’d like to know more from our listeners, what's their take on the song and how they would do things differently. We’re also learning, so it will be a valuable opportunity for us to listen to our listeners’ creations,” said G.A.T.E. Along with those aforementioned wishes, this song is expected to resonate well with the listeners and “One Step at a Time” is ready to be enjoyed on various digital streaming services on November 10th, 2023 via Sun Eater.
