Ricecooker, the Jakarta-based band, confronts loneliness in their debut album Favorite Dinner Guest.
A month into the new year, have you kept up with your resolutions?
Has anyone reminded you to stay consistent, or do you return home today to an empty apartment?
With this album the band aims to accompany listeners in finding that special person in their lives.
Over the past two years, Ricecooker has steadily released single after single, exploring different phases and earning notable achievements.
Their tracks Moving On and Sunday Song featured in the series My Nerd Girl 3 on the streaming platform Vidio.
Meanwhile, their first original soundtrack, If You Let Me, for the film Cinta Tak Seindah Drama Korea, briefly topped Netflix Indonesia.
Will Mara, a member of Ricecooker and a producer for well-known Indonesian artists like Nadin Amizah and Raissa Anggiani, shared his thoughts on the band’s journey.
He explained that after experiencing these valuable opportunities, they felt it was the right moment to release a full album.
Read more: Zeke and The Popo Open New Era With Ghost Circuit Single
Inspiration Behind The Album of Ricecooker
Imagine a typical day today. After hours crowded in the office and squeezed into the train, you return to your dorm room.
You sit down at your table to eat a takeaway dinner while watching your favorite livestream alongside thousands of other viewers.
Yet, you type “hahaha” with a blank expression, completely alone.
Alif Ibrahim, Ricecooker’s guitarist and published writer in the UK and Germany, explained that this sense of isolation inspired the album.
He added that the World Health Organization highlights the risks of lacking meaningful connections.
This absence, he explained, can lead not only to depression but also to long-term health issues, including heart disease.
Therefore, the album centers on stories that guide listeners through moments of pain.
It explores ways to accept that pain and gradually reopen the heart to others.
Ultimately, it aims to help each listener discover their own “Favorite Dinner Guest.”
Read more: Main-Main di Cipete Vol 40 Showcases Jakarta Indie Scene
The Lead Single of the Album
For this album release, the band sees the track Smitten as its central thread.
Jerome Kurnia, Ricecooker’s vocalist and a nominee at last year’s Indonesian Film Festival for his role in Perang Kota, shared insights about the song.
He explained that the title captures the feeling of falling in love or being completely captivated.
He emphasized that the feeling is more intense, sweet, and irrational, like joy that words cannot fully express.
or this track, Ricecooker collaborated with Arash Buana for writing and production.
Jerome noted that words and sweet melodies alone cannot capture the beauty of falling in love, and that Arash’s piano talent is unmatched.
Indeed, from the very first notes of Smitten, listeners hear soft, delicate piano melodies that immediately draw them in.
Violins and brass join in, adding warmth and depth, while layered choral arrangements wrap around the sound, creating a fully immersive experience.
The song, along with ten other tracks, completes Ricecooker’s debut album Favorite Dinner Guest.
It is available on all digital music platforms starting January 30, 2026.
Track List Album Favorite Dinner Guest
- Talk To Me
- I Gotchu
- Sunday Song
- Smitten
- Learn on a Friend
- Good Morning, Goodbye
- Ghost On The Dancefloor
- Lost in Seoul
- Would U Mind
- forevermore
- Moving On
