With all of this hype the singer garnered in the few days after the album released, is the album actually that good?
This article is written in English.
Indonesian version of this article can be read here.
TL;DR
Manusia, is a studio album released by Tulus in 2022. There are 10 tracks inside, with humans as it's main theme. A good album to listen to at a certain moment, such as on your way to work, when working, on your way home, having your tea-time or coffee-time. Quite solid as a studio album, even though the lyrics are quite hard to digest at first listen.
Notice
- This article aimed to review this album, and spread information about it.
- No copyright infringement intended, aside from this article that is written by myself.
- I am no musician myself, so this article is purely from my point-of-view as a music listener/enjoyer who loves listening to music as a form of entertainment.
- Media shown here, whether images, videos, or such are embedded from the original source.
- Source used to create this article is as follows: official press release on his official website1, the album itself on Spotify2, his discography page on the official website3, and my own understanding4.
Introduction
In the past few days, Tulus, has been trending in Indonesia's Twitter trending topic for days as he just released his latest studio album, entitled "Manusia" (Human, literal translation). This is his 4th Studio Album, after 10th years in this industry. Aside from Twitter, some of my mutual friends on Instagram also posted this song as Instagram stories in the past few days. With all of this hype garnered around the album, is the album that good to tune in?
Album Details
Following information is typed-out by myself manually as I couldn't find that much information regarding the album in detail. There were no entries on Wikipedia (yet?) regarding this album, the official press release also didn't provide that much detail (see here to read more), so I decided to just type it out by myself then.
I didn't follow the artist and the timeline of releases toward this album, but based on it's official YouTube channel, it looks like the first track, "Tujuh Belas" was released as a single prior to this album. Then a live performance of the fifth track, "Ingkar", was released a few months later. Then a few days prior to the full album, a teaser for "Tujuh Belas" Music Video was released. You can watch the teaser below. Then on March 3rd, all songs released on various platforms, with each lyric video available on his official YouTube channel.
| Title | Manusia (literal translation: Human). |
|---|---|
| Singer | Tulus. Only him, and no featured artist included in this studio album. |
| Released on | Thursday, 03 March 2022 in Indonesia. |
| Type | Studio Album. |
| Total Track, Length | 10 tracks, 38 min 37 sec. |
| Language | Indonesian. Interestingly, everything (album title, song title, and lyrics) doesn't include any other language than Indonesian. Not even local language in Indonesia. |
| Label | TulusCompany2. |
| Notable People3 |
|
| Platform or Where to Listen3 | Spotify, Apple Music, Joox, Deezer, Resso, and YouTube Music. |
| Listener Discretion | None. No profanities in the lyrics, nor explicit words used. So it's safe to be heard by anyone of any age. |
Tracklist
The album is entitled as "Manusia" (Human, literal translation). Every track in this album is gender neutral, aside from track 05. Ingkar. No lyrics used that refer specifically toward one gender here. I also think the tracklist is arranged in a way of how a human's timeline would be. What I mean is, the album opened with a track entitled "Tujuh Belas", which marks the beginning of human's adulting phase. Then ended with "Satu Kali", which portrayed how you need to try again in your life, as you only have one life to live, even after all those experiences you had, so live in the moment. Between these two tracks also feels like a rollercoaster. There is a track for expectation, denial, meeting someone new, feeling lost, and such. You can read more details below.
01. Tujuh Belas (literal translation: Seventeen)
| Performed by | Written by | Produced by | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tulus | Muhammad Tulus, Petra Sihombing | Ari Renaldi | 04:14 |
I assumed this track was probably the title track for this album, as it was delivered as a pre-release prior to this album, placed on the first track, and I think it does suit the position. This track is gonna remind you of "your seventeen". An age where people start blooming, the beginning of adult life, and such. This track feels quite upbeat, and probably gonna remind you of musical performance as there were a lot of adlibs-choruses-background vocals can be heard throughout the song. Kinda interesting as the song credit only showed Tulus as the performer of this song. Probably a physical album (if available) could show more credits regarding the song. Along with the song, there is also a Music Video released for this track, which you can see below. But, without the music video, the song is already good on it's own, even if the music video does portray the lyrics more clearly.
02. Kelana (literal translation: Wanderer or Purpose)
| Performed by | Written by | Produced by | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tulus | Muhammad Tulus, Petra Sihombing | Ari Renaldi | 03:12 |
I translated this title as "Wanderer", but "Purpose" probably means better as the track trying to remind us of what your dream/purpose actually is. With all of those busy-daily-life you did everyday, will everything be worth it in the end? This track will suit young-adult people who are currently in working age, or people who have two-life: school/studying + part-timing, or even those in mature-age who's probably still feeling lost in their life. Probably not too suitable for young people, as I don't think many of them are currently sandwiched as most of them are probably still in the studying phase right now instead of working for their living.
03. Remedi (literal translation: Remedy)
| Performed by | Written by | Produced by | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tulus | Muhammad Tulus, Theresia Margaretha Gultom | Ari Renaldi | 04:07 |
Go for it! Reach your stars, we'll talk about us later.
Those sentences probably portrayed the main theme of this song simply at best. Your life is yours, so for your sake, go for it! Pursue your dreams! Go/Move where you wanted to! Don't mind me and think about ours for now. Even if it's sad, it's gonna be okay in the end. You only have one chance in your life, so just go for it.
This track probably suited those who were feeling in doubt in their life. On the one hand, there is a great chance for a better future in their life. But, they need to leave their current partner as a sacrifice for this. Hence why, the track told us to "just go for it, and we'll talk about us later". No one knows what the future will hold, and one good chance probably not gonna come twice.
04. Interaksi (literal translation: Interaction)
| Performed by | Written by | Produced by | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tulus | Muhammad Tulus, Topan Abimanyu | Ari Renaldi | 02:50 |
This track portrayed someone who unexpectedly met someone new. His/her feelings grow, as expected, but still feeling confused, whether it's truly right to open their heart for someone new or it's best to close it up and maintain that line.
05. Ingkar (literal translation: Denial)
| Performed by | Written by | Produced by | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tulus | Muhammad Tulus, Ari Renaldi, Yoseph Sitompul | Ari Renaldi | 04:12 |
Honestly, I still couldn't move on from you, yet.
This track portrayed someone who still couldn't move on from their previous relationship, even though he tried to start a new one with someone new. Both agreed to end their relationship, however he (subject of this track) still felt that he couldn't move on from that relationship, yet. Even if he tried to move on, he still lived under that shadow. This is the only track that is not gender-neutral, which uses a metaphor of "Bunga", which means "flower". In Indonesian, flower could be interpreted as female, as male is interpreted as Bee.
06. Jatuh Suka (literal translation: Fall In You)
| Performed by | Written by | Produced by | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tulus | Muhammad Tulus, Petra Sihombing | Ari Renaldi | 03:55 |
Honestly, at first listen, this track sounds... the most strange. I mean, I barely read or hear people say "Jatuh Suka" in Indonesian. People usually say "Jatuh Cinta" or "Jatuh Hati", which means falling in love. But as the former could be translated as the same translation, probably it's okay. After a few listens it also does not feel that strange anymore. Indeed, people need to adapt to something new to make it feel regular. This track portrayed someone who progressively fell in love with someone as they got closer as time went by. The subject does hope that he/she could be with him/her and upgrade their relationship status into the next level.
07. Nala
| Performed by | Written by | Produced by | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tulus | Muhammad Tulus, Theresia Margaretha Gultom, Topan Abimanyu | Ari Renaldi | 04:20 |
At first listen, this track actually feels... different. As in the only song that directly stated the subject explicitly. There's a name, "Nala", which is used throughout the song, and his/her born-year, 92. Probably this song is actually directed toward someone, by Nala. Or probably could mean as if the listener could position themselves as "Nala". Also by "Nala", I am not sure whether this track is also gender neutral or not. I mean, people in Indonesia are probably more familiar with portraying Nala as female. But it's possible that there is a man named Nala, right?
Anyway, this track feels sombre/sad. The track tells us about someone named "Nala", who was expecting a date on that night. However, the plan was scrapped. Disappointed? Of course, it's normal. Especially when he/she is already 30 years old (this year). A sparked hope is now gone. However, he/she decided to move on with these, and try to arrange another date if it's possible. The track ended there, and no further continuation to the story.
08. Hati-Hati di Jalan (literal translation: Goodbye, Take Care)
| Performed by | Written by | Produced by | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tulus | Ari Renaldi, Muhammad Tulus | Ari Renaldi | 04:02 |
This track literally blew up these few days. In just a few days since the album was released, the track has been listened to by more than 4 million on Spotify. People also talked about this song on various platforms, whether Instagram, Twitter, or such.
The track told us about someone who feels like they met their destiny already. With all of those matches between both of them, he/she expected that "okay, I think this person is my destiny". However, it's not, in the end. They decided to part their ways, and their relationship ended there.
Update 14 April 2022. The music video for this song has been released too on 10 April 2022. You can watch it below.
09. Diri (literal translation: Myself)
| Performed by | Written by | Produced by | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tulus | Ari Renaldi, Muhammad Tulus | Ari Renaldi | 04:00 |
This track is also quite popular lately. This track revolves in similar themes, such as "think about yourself again", "don't go too hard on yourself", "it's okay, it's gonna be okay in the future". Such a good one for "calming track", especially for someone who feels that their life is hard, or could be useful too to calm someone after a rough day. This track also feels suitable to listen to when you are on your way home.
10. Satu Kali (literal translation: Only Once)
| Performed by | Written by | Produced by | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tulus | Muhammad Tulus, Yoseph Sitompul | Ari Renaldi | 03:44 |
The theme for this track is you only have one life, don't regret too much, so live in the moment. Another good track for those who need to be reminded of their future and "live in the moment" phase. Some people do regret and over think about their past too much, like "what if I didn't do that", "what if I do that before", but forgot to actually live in their moment, which is now.
Extended Media
Below you can see various media regarding this album, such as the lyric video for first track, "Tujuh Belas", and a live performance accompanied with orchestra.
Conclusion
Is the album good?
Yes, it is solid enough for a full album.
As someone who's just an enjoyer/listener of music, this album feels solid enough. At first listen, it's probably not that intriguing, but after a few repeats, you'll start picking up interesting pieces here and there throughout the album. Some tracks were upbeat, some are slow, hence why this album probably is a good choice to listen to on various occasions. Whether you are on your way home, or when you wanna do your errands, or having that tea-time or coffee by yourself. Not that upbeat which will uplift your mood that instant or having a dance session, nor depressing your mood after listening to it.
But at the same time, the album does a bit... feels hard to digest. Probably due to diction or the structure that the lyricist uses in this album. It does feel poetic, and understandable. But some sentences feel... hard to digest. You need to re-listen to the tracks repeatedly, and then try to connect the pieces before actually being able to understand the meaning of various sentences in the lyrics. The lyricists probably have their own purpose regarding this...
So for me, I scored this album as:
😀 Quite Good
That's all for now. Thank you for reading this review, and see you in another post. Bye! 👋🏻