WE ARE NEUROTIC

Upon parting ways with his old band in 2012, Jakarta, Indonesia-based vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Jonathan Mono started Neurotic as a solo project with a rotating cast of supporting musicians for live performances to which bassist Yosaviano Santoso joined in 2015 and drummer Karel William followed in 2017. After releasing two pop albums as Neurotic, in late 2018 Mono, Santoso, and William took time off to deal with personal issues. The trio of Mono, Santoso and William then reconvened in 2020, rebranding themselves as We Are Neurotic to reflect the more equal nature of the group and shifting their music towards funk, disco and house music territory, with flourishes of jazz thrown in for good measure.

With nothing better to do during the early months of the pandemic, We Are Neurotic made the pivotal decision to become active users on Discord and Twitch. Besides proving their mettle by participating – and often winning – online music battles hosted by the likes of Disclosure, Chromeo, MJ Cole and Kenny Beats, We Are Neurotic picked up new acquaintances and sound advice along the way.

In the case of the former, it has led to We Are Neurotic collaborating with musicians from all over the world, particularly Russian producer Igor Gonya with whom We Are Neurotic joined forces to create 2022's "Just Words", their most-streamed track yet, and through whose label Lisztomania Records they released the EPs Jakarta Funk and Bite Off Ya Beat in 2022 and 2023, respectively.

Another notable collaborator is Korean-born, San Francisco-based artist 3kelves, with whom We Are Neurotic have recorded a string of singles – "Lake Temescal Blues", "Relieved Memories" and "Think of You Only" – and also formed the collective C3DO with Dutch-American producer Dylan C. Greene. We Are Neurotic's music has also been released through numerous respected labels worldwide, including Italy's Stereophonic and Kitsuné Musique of France.

Meanwhile, advice from a Q&A session on Disclosure's Discord persuaded We Are Neurotic to follow in Conor Albert's footsteps by continuously writing and recording music and posting it online in the form of minute-long Instagram Reels that would draw the attention of new listeners and other interested parties. Thanks to Edan Frei of Los Angeles duo B00TY – whom Mono had co-produced tracks for – four of those reels ended up being used in Sephora's The Beauty of Blackness documentary that was aired in the U.S. on HBO Max, while 3kelves helped more of We Are Neurotic's music find a home in Samsung's promotional campaign for the Galaxy S23 smartphone in South Korea and worldwide.

In order to help new listeners discover more of We Are Neurotic's music after being drawn in by what they heard in The Beauty of Blackness and the Samsung Galaxy S23 ads, the band decided to flesh out those snippets into a full-length album upon the suggestion of 3kelves and Greene, their partners in C3DO. Released in March 2023, You Are Not Even Close showcases a fuller picture of We Are Neurotic's musical breadth to date, with an added Indonesian flavor that sets them apart from their global peers.

In February 2024, together with frequent collaborators Dylan C. Greene and 3kelves, the band launched C3DO Recordings: a playful house, disco and electronic label, dedicated to nurturing its family of artists and providing a steady stream of quality, idiosyncratic releases.

It's fitting that the label's first batch of releases feature the We Are Neurotic tracks "Hyperservice" and "Deus É Samba", both very much setting both the standard and tone of what you can expect from this imprint over the coming months.