IKAN HYU — WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOMS

Ten years after their formation, IKAN HYU are releasing their second album: WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOMS. In keeping with this anniversary—which is not only a celebration of Anisa and Hannah’s artistic evolution but also a moment to look back at their time as a duo—a central theme of the album is friendship, and how one can lose oneself within it as well as being found again. With this new album, IKAN HYU delve into a complex emotional landscape and sing about themes of distance and closeness, getting away from addictive thought patterns, and belonging.

“I was flying with the birds, but I was meant to swim with sharks.”

With IKAN HYU, Hannah and Anisa redefine what a two-person band can be. They don’t simply play guitar or sing—they play everything. The soundscapes they construct are both explosive and intimate, electronic and deeply human. Unsurprisingly, WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOMS expands their genre bending musical universe even further while carrying the same message: creativity is freedom, and freedom is shared.

The thirteen tracks on the album connect seamlessly and were produced with Viennese producer SYRIX, in whom Hannah and Anisa found a counterpart who understood both their artistic vision and their DIY approach of recording music. Elements that give this album its unique IKAN-flair include a Moog Subsequent, a theremin, the use of a walkie-talkie as a mic to record whole lead vocal, guitar and synth takes, sound recordings on a tape recorder and self-recorded samples of Alpine birds and the ocean.

Ever since their formation, the ocean has not only been an inspiration for the duo’s visual identity—think glowing fish heads at live shows, the name “IKAN HYU” which means “shark” in Indonesian, and the vibrant cover art Hannah designs featuring rays and octopuses—but also represents a place of introspection and immersion, moving below the surface and toward oneself. For their sophomore album, it was marine creatures such as a solar powered sea snail, mimic octopuses and flying fish that inspired songs about longing, alienation and self-expression.

The album's concluding and name-giving track, ﹏withdrawal symptoms﹏, is a departure from a lingering sense of not belonging. Its ethereal quality fosters acceptance and frames pain as a symptom of letting go and moving forward.

“You say it’s just withdrawal symptoms and all the things they will pass. Those walls they will become watchtowers. I can see you from up there. I can see you now.”