Joy of Yesterdays #02: wave to earth

It had only been yesterday since I fell in love with wave to earth. I never really listened to their songs before—not intentionally, at least. The first time I heard them was about four years ago, and after that, they faded into the background. I remember adding calla to a playlist, marking it for later, as if saving it for a moment when I’d be ready to fully dive into their music. But that moment never really came.

the after party

Then, suddenly, bad and love. started taking over TikTok, filling my FYP. bad was catchy, sure, but it was everywhere. Overplayed. I didn’t think much about it. It wasn’t until my sister introduced me to more of their songs that I started paying attention. She adored them—crying over homesick, headbanging to their music like it was the soundtrack of her life. She wanted to go to the concert so badly, but school and money kept her from it. So, I decided to go for the both of us.

I bought my ticket a month before the concert. Luckily, it wasn’t sold out yet. I secured a spot in VIP 2—the seasons section. And from that moment on, I felt like I had to make up for lost time. I started listening properly, immersing myself in their music. I realized play with earth! had been released on my birthday last year, and just like calla, I had saved it but never really listened. It was like finding forgotten letters I sent to my future self from the past.

love.

Then, one night, love. made me forget I needed to sleep. It wasn’t just a song; it was a realization. The way it builds—from the first verse, gathering reflections, then rushes into the bridge before reaching its climax in the last chorus—it mirrors how emotions unfold. How clarity arrives in waves. Just for me to realize the waves itself collapsing onto one another in this such teeny tiny thing called a heart. Unconsciously aligned with how I see things just like in waves within, the way I see it as waves which is weird but also wow. Made it sound so familiar.

비로소 우리의 세상이 완벽해

Then our world became perfect

사랑으로, 사랑으로

With love, with love

나의 작은 마음도

My little heart

그 안에 작은 파도처럼

Like tiny waves inside

부서지고 밀려와선

Break and push toward you

네게 녹아내리고

Melting and pulling away

그제서야 보이는 나의 영원

And only then can I see my eternity

It’s beautiful—how Daniel crafts a song that feels like an unfolding epiphany. And how, as listeners, we interpret and echo it in ways that fit our own realities.

But it wasn’t just love. that knocked me out. As I dug deeper into their music, I realized something: wave to earth romanticizes the world itself. Their name holds weight, so much of their discography is a tribute to nature, to the earth, to the things we often overlook. Their songs aren’t just about feelings but about connection—to the sky, the sea, and the seasons. Titles like wave, light, purple lake, bonfire, bird, seasons, pink horizon, akira, and play with earth! make it apparent. They see nature as something intimate, something worth cherishing. And that, to me, is fascinating.

beck.

It made me reflect on how we perceive the world around us—how the things closest to us, the things we see every day, hold meaning we don’t always recognize. A single wave, a fading sunset, a quiet breeze, striking sunrays, a natural rug of grass, the smell of rain. Sometimes, the answers we seek aren’t in distant places but in the things already within reach. And again, to me, is fascinating.

So let's shift to the concert for now. Yes, I went alone. Daunting at first, but then I got picked up by one active fan to a group chat, which was still terrifying (they were strangers). I met a few people at the venue, including one fan who had sailed from Lampung to Jakarta just to see wte. We bonded, surpassing age gaps, places of origin—just existing in the moment, immersed in the music for the whole night. I thought it was going to be terrifying (I still think it is), but surprisingly, in the end, it was quite comforting.

I feel like I'm stuck on that night, by the time they entered the stage for soundcheck it was ethereal. Hearing play with earth! live was a dream. I remember blasting that song for a week in my room because it was such a vibe! Also, I admit live version of bad with echoes of people singing as a backtrack was so extra. homesick too, it strikes me. I love peach eyes, wave, and pink cause they made me smile a lot. Daniel also sang a bit of calla which made me scream because I have a specific memory about calla and didn't expect he would be merciful to us like that. The other songs like seasons and love. clearly made me ugly-cry myself that night, I still couldn't believe I saw love. and seasons live. They are my deadly duo. annie., pueblo, and beck were fun, and I sang together with them the whole song. holyland and slow dive were deep and I just stood there mesmerized, their performance with perfect lighting was such a combination.

homesick

I took the MRT and Commuter Line home, arriving around midnight. Ordered dinner along the ride and ate as soon as I got back. The journey back from the train station was fully diluted with a sense of gratefulness and astonishment. And also… relief. As if I had successfully reclaimed something that had been gone or taken away.

MRT Station Istora Mandiri

Some songs serve as reminders of happiness, yet they also trigger pain and sorrow. Agonized by it, I think I’ve also been consciously distancing myself from anything that reminds me of the pain. A defense mechanism I’ve learned to build along the way—one that still confuses me. Because now, it feels like something I need to confront for relief rather than something I need to avoid for relief.

The past still lingers, especially with so many ties intertwined, and the thought of prioritizing myself at the expense of others' comfort doesn’t sit well with me. It feels like I’m grasping onto myself while simultaneously pulling away.

Weird.