Doomed Confessionary: Pradio, Iga, Anggra & Bintang (IGMO)
Photos by Holobox Studio
IGMO is a rock band from Kediri, Indonesia, consisting of Pradio Manggara Putra (vocals, guitar), Iga Dahana (guitar), Ilham Bintang (drums), and Muhammad Anggra (bass).
The band identifies their sound as “Kawula-Rock” or “Rock-goers”, delivering a compelling fusion of ’70s hard rock nostalgia with a modern edge – imagine Wolfmother and Led Zeppelin having a laid-back coffee chat.
Their discography includes the full-length album »Take It Over« (2022), a live session album »Devil’s Still Alive« (2023), and five singles: »Head On Fire«, »Awesome«, »Peace Of Night«, »Dark Rhyme« (2021), and »Dystopian Tropical Sojourn« (2023).
Their second album, »Absurd, Artificial, Potential«, dropped on September 5th, 2025. It takes a bold step into the complexity of systems – how they entrap individuals and rival one another to feign perfection. Where their debut »Take It Over« channeled inner turmoil, »Absurd, Artificial, Potential« turns outward; examining how individuals are entangled in flawed systems built to obscure, control, and manipulate.
Can you please say a few words about your band?
IGMO actually stands for I Got My Oldbook. The name was inspired by the school textbooks from our childhood that made learning new things fun and exciting.
That same spirit is what we apply to bring into our music.
Musically, we play rock that isn’t really constant and not overly complex either. It moves and shifts in its own way. People often call our music as progressive rock, but we feel more comfortable to call it just.. dynamic rock (?) Haha.
And yeah, we come from Kediri, a small town from Indonesia.
What was the biggest challenge for the band?
Indeed, one of our biggest challenges is the place where we make music: Kediri.
When people hear “Indonesia,” most of them probably think of cities like Jakarta (the capital city), Bandung, Bali (island), or Yogyakarta. The music eocsystem is much more established there, especially Jakarta.
In Kediri, we don’t really have many options, and our music is still quiet alien here also. So we make the most of the networks we have and rely heavily on technology to help us reach a wider listeners. Time by time, the local community has increasingly embraced and supported us. We are very grateful for this growing enthusiasm
What can you be most proud of so far?
One of the things that makes us really proud is when our music is embraced by a wider audience, especially in spaces that once felt unfamiliar to us.
For example, seeing strong sales on Bandcamp with buyers from different countries has been an amazing experience. Being featured by international music media like Doom Nation is also something we’re honestly very proud of.
What was your biggest regret?
Overall, we don’t feel like we’ve had any major regrets so far.
But if there’s one thing we do feel a bit sorry about, it would be missing a show in Jember (one of the cities we have great relationship with) late last year. Unfortunately, our vocalist, Pradio, suddenly got sick and had to receive intensive treatment, so we had to cancel the show.
It would have been the perfect moment for us to promote our second album live there.
What was the best concert/tour so far and why?
If we talk about it from an artistic perspective, our best concert so far was the showcase for our second album, »Absurd, Artificial, Potential«, which we held on September 24 last year. It was the first time we truly had the space to fully realize our stage concept: from the stage design, lighting setup, visuals background, to the sound production and theatrical elements that helped strengthen the narrative we wanted to bring to the performance.
For example, we collaborated with Heni Swastantri, a traditional dancer, when we performed the song »Curriculum«. In the middle of the performance, we also inserted a short comedic dialogue between Pradio and Iga (our guitarist), inspired by a traditional theatrical form from our region called Ludruk.
In terms of artistic concept, that was definitely our best concert. But we also have another memorable live experience from a show we played in Tuban in 2022, mainly because of the incredible way the audience there appreciated our existence.
What was the biggest surprise on the music scene for you?
As I have said in previous question. We remember when we did live in Tuban by Komplotan Podo Rukun (a local creative community) in 2022.
Many things impressed us. Firstly, they didn’t negotiate our production cost (rarely happens here). Then, we could really feel their enthusiasm with our arrival. They even watched us and did show their joy when we were still checking sound. When we were performing our songs, almost all of them sang passionately, memorizing all of our lyrics. Someone also brought fireworks when we played »Head On Fire«.
After the show, we sat together and ate traditional food on the street, just like friends, with no borders between artist and audience. It felt magical, and we felt properly loved.
What is currently in your heavy musical rotation?
We feel like our musical taste hasn’t really changed much lately.
Everyone still listens according to their own preferences. Each of us enjoys a wide variety of genres, not limited to the progressive rock that forms the core of our musical DNA – although that’s something we all share a love for.
Pradio (vocals/guitar) is really into Nick Drake and Pink Floyd, a lot of psychedelic rock, and even medieval music. Iga (guitar) enjoys grunge like Pearl Jam and alternative rock like The Strokes. Anggra (bass) leans toward punk and Britpop, while Bintang (drums) is into metal, deathcore, and similar genres.
We’ve never set a guideline that requires us to listen to certain types of music when writing our songs. That freedom might be why our music can have some twist here and there – compared to the traditional 4/4 rock music. Please do listen to our 2nd album, »Absurd, Artificial, Potential« for this.
What was the best advice you’ve ever been given as a musician?
The best advice we’ve received so far has come from our label, Soundjana.
In the early days, we used to think of releases as just releases. We didn’t really consider putting out a full album right away, and initially were only thinking of doing EPs. The label kept encouraging us to see a release as a narrative, and more than that, as a way to shape opinion.
Eventually, we felt ready to release our first full-length album, Take It Over. At that point, we understood that 1) narrative is a important and 2) must be delivered to listeners effectively. All the while, artistically-speaking, we’re continuously re-evaluating ourselves and in turn, our music.
What are your guilty pleasures?
Actually, we also enjoy listening to K-pop, and sometimes even watch K-dramas – especially Pradio and Iga, haha. Anggra and Bintang really enjoy watching anime.
We also occasionally listen to dangdut koplo – a traditional music style from our region/province in East Java. It’s not exactly a guilty pleasure, though, because we think some of the lyrics are really well-written and honestly respond to social issues through a local, community-focused perspective.
Can you say something more about the current music scene in Kediri / Indonesia?
Maybe we can say something more about Indonesian rock and alternative scene here. They are driven partly by the digital era, with some acts reaching mainstream success. However, we feel the ecosystem still heavily favors established centers like Jakarta. This “Capital-centrism” offers long-standing advantages: clear roadmaps, robust systems, and historical sentiment.
As a band based in Kediri, we view this as a significant challenge that demands our effort to overcome. While the internet offers opportunities, the question remains: what more can be done to bridge this geographical gap? We believe this sentiment is shared widely among bands operating outside the capital.
As our lyrics from »Winter’s Almost Gone« say: “We insist the equals.”
Where can we see you live this year (concerts/tours)?
Honestly, it’s not certain yet. This year, we’re planning to tour for our second album around East Java, and possibly even further – still yet to be confirmed. It’s still an ongoing discussion with the people who might be involved in making this tour happen. Hopefully, it will come together.
What are your plans for the future as a band?
Besides the tour plans, we’re also preparing our third album!
Currently, we’re working on derivative projects from the non-single tracks on our second album as well. These will be delivered through various products like music videos, lyric videos, merchandise, and more.
In addition, our vocalist Pradio is recording songs for his solo project called Diossoulo, which is also scheduled to be released this year.
How can people best support your band?
Honestly, we’re already very happy if people simply take the time to listen to our songs on their favorite platforms. Whether they end up loving them or not – it’s a different matter. It means even more when they come to our concerts.
But of course, we would be especially touched if someone – whether it’s an individual, a media outlet, or anyone engaging with our work – takes it a step further: really delving into our music through in-depth reviews, thoughtful analysis, or discussions that explore the composition and lyrics more deeply.
Even more so, if someone acknowledges that our songs have had a positive personal impact on them, that’s incredibly meaningful for us.
Do you have any message for your listeners?
We are very grateful to our listeners, especially those who have followed us since day one. We also hope our new listeners will get to know us better, because we truly want to get to know all of you as well to be honest. We really apreciate and love you all.
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well