Lobbyist lands like something hardcore has been circling around forever – power, suits, and people pulling strings they swear they don’t have. Man Dead Set seem fully aware of that, leaning into the familiarity with a smirk rather than pretending they’ve discovered a new villain. Our previous guests from Man Dead Set are releasing their third EP as a compact statement shaped by frustration with authority, social performance, and systems that reward the loudest voices rather than the most honest ones.
The release comes out across three formats: cassette via Tarung Records in Indonesia, CD through District Six Records in Indonesia, and a 7” vinyl handled by Vanilla Thunder Records in Singapore. It’s also the band’s most outward-facing record so far, built with the help of friends across Southeast Asia and grounded firmly in the same working-class perspective that has defined their earlier output.
The EP opens its themes early. “Yang Berhormat”, written in Malay, takes aim at the comfortable class that claims to understand struggle while benefiting from status and distance. The song frames power as temporary and fragile, set against a social landscape that feels increasingly greedy and emotionally vacant. The warning isn’t dramatic or symbolic; it’s practical. Compassion and honest voices, the band suggests, are being pushed aside by performance and entitlement.
That critique sharpens on “Capitalishit”, which strips the idea of progress down to a loop of exploitation. The song condemns a capitalist cycle where greed sets the rules and the public is repeatedly misled. There’s no attempt to soften the language or dress the message up as metaphor. It’s blunt, direct, and impatient with excuses.
“Cakap Besar”, which is already available via streaming platforms, shifts the focus from structures to individuals. Sung again in the band’s own language, the track targets people who talk tough, stir conflict, and operate behind others’ backs. The lyrics don’t elevate the confrontation; they deflate it. The song mocks bravado that collapses as soon as it’s challenged.
“Cakap cakap macam kau ustad,
Tulis sana tulis sini serupa bangsat,”
the band writes, calling out moral posturing and empty commentary. The lyric circles back to the same point: noise without substance, aggression without accountability. According to the band, the song is about people who “talk big, cause trouble, and badmouth others, but are actually weak,” especially those who rely on someone else when asked to face things directly.
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Where much of the EP confronts authority and ego, “Better Scene” looks outward and forward. It argues for a more open, less judgmental community, one that allows younger voices to exist without constant correction or policing. The tone isn’t idealistic. It reads more like a demand for space than a call for unity.
“About the Job” brings the conversation into the workplace. The song reflects on office politics and the familiar frustration of giving everything to work while feeling invisible. Dedication, in this frame, isn’t rewarded; it’s exploited or ignored. The track questions why effort so often meets rejection instead of recognition, without romanticising burnout or loyalty.
“S.O.S” pushes back again toward collective response. It’s framed as a wake-up call — a refusal of silence and passivity in the face of oppressive authority. The song urges people to speak, link up, and push back together, not as heroes but as a necessary counterweight to control.
The EP closes with an instrumental track, allowing the tension built across the earlier songs to linger without explanation or instruction.
Visually, “Lobbyist” carries the same message. The cover art reflects the EP’s core attitude toward power and politics, summed up simply by the band: politicians, in their view, are part of the problem this record is reacting to.
“Lobbyist” follows Man Dead Set’s earlier releases, including “Salaryman”, which previously explored similar ground — work, pressure, and honesty inside systems designed to drain it. The new EP doesn’t expand the scope so much as tighten it.
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This third release also marks deeper regional collaboration. Tarung Records’ involvement is described by the band as crucial support, alongside District Six Records and Vanilla Thunder Records helping bring the EP out in different physical forms. The project feels less like a standalone statement and more like part of an ongoing Southeast Asian conversation, shaped by shared experiences rather than scenes or trends.
“Lobbyist” reads more like a logbook: observations from work, from streets, from conversations that repeat themselves until someone finally says something back.
