Within the largest city of Myanmar, Yangon, lie small yet meaningful bands like Soft Things, who are waving the flag towards the dream pop and shoegaze flourishes that echo across the city. Formed back in 2023, this tight-knit band is composed of guitarists Kaung Khant Htun and Nyi Ye Htut, bassist Kaung SI Thu, drummer Thu Ta Aung, and vocalist Thet Htar Zin. Young fledglings finding their groove within the yearning spirit of the sounds they’re pulling from.
They sparked a flash last year with their debut EP, ‘Warm Blue Sea,’ a stirring wave of dream pop that washes over. It acts as a starting point that defines their spirit, a characteristic best represented on the first track of the song, ‘Asleep, Awake’. Punchy drums and serene pedal effects reinforce the tension that Thet writes on record. Looking into a lilting love that is either fleeting or everlasting.
This overall spirit carries through from song to song. ‘Zoo’ very much casts a lot of Cocteau Twins’ soundscape, especially how the guitars phase out in the mix alongside Thet’s vocal backdrops scattering all over the song. ‘I am not the one for you’ tests out its writing intrigues, letting glossy keys cascade over the protagonist’s affections with the women he’s loved in the past. The closer track, ‘Cherry Cola,’ delves into synthpop bits as buzzing synth pads trickle all over the song. It recalls and reflects upon the saccharine moments that can end up so bitter, like an unforgettable aftertaste
Of course, as heard through Thet’s delivery, the brute forces his vocal limits to a flinching degree on ‘I Remember You’, they wear their passion in their sleeves and embrace all its ups and downs as much as possible. Soft Things know that the world is in a rough shape at the moment, so they may as well hold onto those soft moments from the very beginning, and let it glow as they continue their path, charging their spirits to a much tender future.
In Ada Meniv’s Playbook, There Was Darkness Before Light
When you look through the telescope at the moment when the Blood Moon — where astrologists would calculated that it would take a century to evolve — is about to reveal itself, you realize that an album titled LUWAL HATI is about to be uploaded to cyberspace by Ada Meniv; A one-of-a-kind debut album of the trap-metal experimental project of Tisch Nava. The concept of Ada Meniv comes from an internet-induced fever dream of a cultural worker based in Hong Kong, whose vision of the grimmer sides of the Philippines is filtered through intensive worldbuilding. The new album, however, carries moments where one wouldn’t expect these genre trappings to meet, yet they come together in ways that feel deliberate. At the same time, switching between different personas for his DJ alter-ego Fr:(wn and his alternative rave initiative gRave, the music itself is a warning sign for those who want to move deeper into darker corners of the underground.
In tracks like “Placenta,” “Hayeta,” “On Bondage of the Will,” and “Karit,” Ada Meniv taps into an atmosphere less common in a scene saturated with technicolor and maximalism. The lore unfolds in a way that feels reserved for those willing to sit with its discomfort. With parents who both played music early on, and later exposure to local and digital scenes, these influences shaped his direction over time. Here, Tisch lets listeners only scratch the surface of what he has been working toward, both in sound and in creative output overall, putting the album out independently and fully aware of its own abrasive tendencies. Ada Meniv has only gotten started.
[This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity]
Elijah: I think we were internet friends first around 2016 and my first impression was at the time you attended these very diverse mixed-bill shows. Hardcore, metal, mga hip-hop, trap music. Since then, we didn’t really converse as much in those early years, but we somehow found our way to get back into the groove during the pandemic. From what I assume, you grew up with a lot of emo and metal influences. Could you tell me what were the first bands or records that made you feel like music could be a world you could live inside?
Ada Meniv: Si mama tsaka si papa nasa band sila, grunge band. Tapos nagpe-play sila around Manila. Kaya Tisch yung name ko, kasi pangalan ng banda nila is Tisch. Doon nagsimula yung hilig ko sa rock. Simula siya sa Nirvana. Tapos nung four to six years old ako, Nirvana lagi pinapatugtog sa bahay. Tapos Red Hot Chili Peppers, Tool, yung mga sikat sa MTV.
Nung eight to ten years old ako, in-introduce na sa akin ng papa ko yung mas mabibigat pang banda. Naalala ko Disturbed. Tapos lahat ng metal noon, hindi pa metal yung tawag. Parang wala pang label sa mga banda. Korn, Slipknot. Doon ako nagsimula mag-discover ng similar bands sa sarili ko. Pero nag-school ako sa Santa Rosa Laguna, uso yung hip-hop doon. Nahiligan ko rin—Repablikan, mga ganun. Doon nagsimula yung hip-hop side ko. Tapos nag-merge yung fashion ko from hip-hop to metal. Naka-darts ako, hoodie, tapos may studded belt. Yun yung itsura ko noon. Nung grade 5 to 6, in-introduce sa akin ng kaklase ko yung Alesana. Doon ako nagkaroon ng interest sa emo scene.
E: I think pumunta pa sila dito recently like last year?
AM: Oo pero wala ako doon. Sayang.
E: First time nila sa Pilipinas yun after decades.
AM: Nung time na yun, around 2000s sa Santa Rosa. Kasagsagan yun ng emo scene sa Laguna.
E: Sobra, lakas emo scene nila.
AM: Oo, lalo na typecast, mga hardcore ng Piledriver. Wait, dagdag ko lang. Wala pang Spotify, wala pang SoundCloud. Wala rin kaming computer sa bahay. Ang ginagawa ko pumupunta ako sa Olivarez Mall para bumili ng pirated CDs—compilations ng As I Lay Dying, Asking Alexandria. Doon ako nagsimula. Wala sila sa MTV pero sobrang nagustuhan ko yung guitar riffs nila. Yun yung unang inaaral ko sa guitar.
E: What was the first song?
AM: Yung unang natutunan ko sa guitar, tinuro sakin ng papa ko, “Schism” ng Tool. After nun, umalis si papa papuntang Hong Kong. So ako na lang mag-isa nag-discover ng music. Nahilig ako sa drop D, yung mabibigat. Doon ako nagsimula talaga. Yun yung roots ko aside from hip-hop.
E: When was the time you explored more online?
AM: Late na rin. May computer shop malapit sa amin, pero madalas naglalaro lang mga tao doon. May soundtrip yung admin, yun yung pinapakinggan ko lagi. Kaya doon ko rin nadiscover yung ibang sounds. Noong 2009, nagkaroon kami ng laptop tapos binigyan ako ng Globe Tattoo broadband.
E: Ay, same!
AM: Sobrang bagal nun. Isang YouTube video 15 to 30 minutes bago mag-load.
E: 140p lang kaya.
AM: Pero part siya ng experience. Pagkatapos ng intay, ang saya mo na maririnig mo na yung gusto mong pakinggan.
E: Earliest memory ko sa Globe Tattoo, Odd Future, “Oldie” 2011.
AM: Ay oo shet! Malaki rin influence sa akin ni Tyler, pero hindi pa siya kasama sa earliest discoveries ko online. Noon, hinahanap ko pa lang sa YouTube yung mga gusto kong aralin sa guitar—Flyleaf, post-hardcore bands. Tapos nag-aaral din ako ng art rock—Muse, Radiohead.
E: Lumawak yung palette mo.
AM: Oo, eventually. Rabbit hole kasi yung internet. Once pumasok ka, tuloy-tuloy na yun.
E: Ngayon you’re still carrying that Filipino identity in your work as Ada Meniv. How does being part of the overseas Filipino experience affect the way you write or produce music?
AMl: Hindi siya gaano sa lyrics, pero malaki yung influence ng Pilipinas sa soundscape ng Ada Meniv. Sa visuals din, Pilipinas lahat ng settings. Hindi ko pinaplanong mag-set sa ibang bansa. Gusto ko yung nature ng Pilipinas. Sa soundscape, malaking factor yung pagiging Pinoy ko kasi doon ako nag-start mag-explore ng roots. Hanggang ngayon, na-iinvoke ko pa rin siya. Late ako naglabas ng album as Ada Meniv, parang 2026. Pero matagal ko nang sinulat yung ibang tracks. Wala lang akong oras tapusin noon.
E: Which one is the oldest track?
AM: “Placenta.”
E: Gaano katagal ginawa?
AM: Matagal na. Yung riff ng “Placenta,” influence ng Incubus. First or second year high school ko pa iniisip yun. Hindi siya nawala sa isip ko. Wala lang akong pang-record noon.
Ngayon lang ako nagkaroon ng resources—plugins, recording gear—kaya nailabas ko na siya.
E: One of my favorite tracks is “Karit.” Ang ganda ng buildup. Pati yung “Salvia Trip Report” intro, sobrang atmospheric. The whole album feels very psychological. Do you see the project as confronting your darkest thoughts or may narrative siya?
AM: “Placenta” yung anchor ng album. Doon nagsimula lahat. After nun, may idea na ako for the next tracks like “Lisan.” “Mana Drain” yung unang natapos kasi yun yung pinakamadali, influenced by EDM production ko as Fr:(wn. Yung “Salvia Trip Report” at “Lisan” yung pinakamahirap kasi matagal ko nang gustong gawin yung sound na yun. Around 2010–2011 ko pa ini-imagine yun. Inabot ako ng around 6 months para matapos sila. After that, “Moonrat” at ibang tracks. “Karit” yung pinaka-enjoy ako gawin kasi sobrang galing ni Kuya Kevin. Yung ambience ng ‘LUWAL HATI’ yung nagiging glue ng album kahit iba-iba yung genre. Yung paulit-ulit na hangin at tribal drums yung subliminal element.
E: Yung snare ng “On Bondage of the Will,” ang ganda.
AM: Sobrang proud ako dun. Clap, snare, at tribal snare—tatlong layer, iba-ibang EQ. Parang nanununtok yung sound. Yung lyrics at lore, habang ginagawa ko yung album, sinusulat ko rin yung story ni Ada Meniv. Si Ada Meniv parang vagrant sa psychedelic realm. Ako, si Tisch, ako yung host niya. Kapag nasa flow state ako—like habang nagluluto ako sa trabaho—parang nasa ibang dimension yung utak ko. Doon lumalabas si Ada Meniv. Parang sa movie na Soul.
May parts na narrator, may parts na si Tisch, may parts na si Ada Meniv. Ayoko i-giveaway lahat. Yung world niya parang post-apocalyptic psychedelic realm. May authority yung mga tao sa ibang dimension. Dystopian na rin siya. Si Ada Meniv parang defender ng last religion sa world na yun. Hindi real name yung Ada Meniv, parang Dark Souls style naming. Matagal ko nang ginagawa yung lore, hanggang ngayon ongoing pa.
E: Yung Salvia Trip Report, parang interlude, parang diss track ng album. How was the visual process?
AM: Wala ako doon. Shoutout kay Rosario, siya visual director ng Ada Meniv. Sa Korean Temple. Silang sila nag-shoot, temple locations with River Dimitri as photographer. May tatlong model—Rui, Erich, at si Cayenne. May isa pa na parang temple guard character, hindi tumitingin sa camera.
E: That’s fucking fun.
Pag gumagawa ako ng material kay Ada Meniv, ako lang mag-isa. Control ko yung environment. Walang nagsasabi kung maganda o hindi.
-Ada Meniv
AM: Oo, sobrang saya. Pwede siyang partner ng soundscape na ginagawa ko. Yun yung gusto ko doon kasi naiintindihan nila yung gusto ko kahit nandito ako sa ibang bansa.
E: At yung music that you have that’s already there and having people understand you or communicate the visuals through your music, it must have been the biggest compliment that they absolutely get your vision. Would you say it’s your alter ego or is it just a completely separate persona, yung Ada Meniv?
AM: Kaya pa rin akong may sariling personality away from him. Kaya kong mag-step away sa kanya tapos gumawa ako ng material ni Fr:(wn na hindi mo maiisip na si Ada Meniv pala. Parang gano’n.
E: Can you distinguish yourself personally from this character that lives outside of you? How does Ada Meniv differ from the Frown persona?
AM: Si Fr:(wn, siyempre doon nanggaling—yung roots niya from Skrillex, parang EDM. Doon tayo sa side na yan. Hindi ko siya maiisip i-merge kay Ada Meniv kasi ibang practice kung paano ko siya i-play at i-record. Doon pa lang mapapansin na ng mga nakikinig na parang dalawang magkaibang tao yung gumawa ng dalawang project.
E: The first time I encountered Frown was through gRave, post-pandemic. You built this DIY party collective that emphasizes experimentation and community. What inspired you to start organizing those kinds of parties?
AM: Naisip ko yung gTave kasi hindi pa siya gRave noon. Parang performance art show lang sa Pinas yung idea. Para sa akin, yung pinakamagandang venue na napuntahan ko, nagsara na, tawag sa venue “Limbo.”
E: Ay, putek! Wala na rin yun!
AM: Yun lagi kong sinasabi kung saan nanggaling yung gRrave—sa Limbo. Ang ganda ng venue na yan.
E: Yeah, nasa gitna ng Poblacion, may bilog na pinto. Pagpasok mo parang ibang mundo—low ceiling gallery, tapos mga wild na performers. Nakita ko si Ryosuke Kiyasu doon.
AM: Naka-line up ako dyan.
E: Post-pandemic sa Mows?
AM: Oo, under Mainland Connection.
E: Because of Kiyasu, parang na-realize ko na normal pala yung mixed bills. Isang snare lang dala niya pero kaya niya makipag-line up sa iba’t ibang genre. When I think of gRave, it feels similar pero in a sense na ritual-like na spectacle siya. Parang rare, ephemeral, ganun. Is that intentional?
AM: Intentional siya in a way na nahihirapan kami mag-produce ng maraming shows per year. Nawawala yung point ng gRave kapag madalas. Lagi lang siya after Holy Week. Napag-usapan namin na pwede once or twice a year, pero hindi sobra. Ayoko maging parang ibang rave productions na paulit-ulit lang.
E: Do you approach your music the same way—fleeting, experiential?
AM: Yung ‘LUWAL HATI,’ planado talaga siya na i-release kasabay ng Blood Moon. Matagal ko nang plan yun. Buti natapos ko before mangyari yung event. Yun yung naging anchor, parang deadline ng project.
E: So it’s almost lifelong?
AM: Yung total Blood Moon, parang once every century. Yung lunar eclipse pwede yearly.
E: What kind of freedom does experimental hip-hop or trap metal give you?
AM: Pag gumagawa ako ng material kay Ada Meniv, ako lang mag-isa. Control ko yung environment. Walang nagsasabi kung maganda o hindi. Hindi ko rin pinapasa sa friends ko during the process. After ko ma-polish, saka ko lang pinapakinggan sa iba. Pero kahit ganun, may nababago pa rin. Kung wala yung Blood Moon, baka hindi pa rin siya nare-release kasi pabago-bago ako ng sound design.
E: What do you hope listeners take from ‘LUWAL HATI’?
AM: Hindi ko intention magbigay ng specific feeling. Pero kung may mapulot sila, sana huwag silang tumingin sa isang typebeat lang. Maraming pwedeng kunin—parang palengke. Kunin mo lahat ng gusto mo, tapos ikaw na bahala.
E: What was the most chaotic moment performing live as Frown?
AM: gRave 3. Nandoon ka ba?
E: Halfway the program lang.
AM: Yun yung pinaka-chaotic. May nagbabasag ng bote sa gitna ng set ko. Tinigil ko yung music during “Yonkers” ni Tyler, the Creator para i-clear yung area. Habang nangyayari yun, sa peripheral vision ko may nagsusuntukan, may sumisigaw ng “stop the car.” So tinigil ko talaga. Parang sobra na. Isa pa, yung first gRave. Hindi ko pa alam yung audience. Beta test pa lang. Nagulat kami may nag-mosh pit sa set ko. Akala ko joke lang yun nung pinost ko. Pero nangyari talaga.
E: That was magical.
AM: Oo. Yun yung roots ng Grave—yunh Limbo and small events in general kung saan may nagmo-mosh kahit DJ set lang. Tisch pa lang name ko noon, hindi pa Fr:(wn. Up to North days.
E: Nag-DJ ka pa sa 88 Vibers naalala ko yun sa Team Jesus?
Spelled in full caps, Singapore’s CURB plays emo with a ferocious bite. The city-state has built a strong reputation in the genre since the mid-2010s revival, with bands like Terrible People, Xingfoo&Roy, and Forests helping push the scene into cult territory. CURB arrives from the same ecosystem, sharing creative ties with the indie lineage surrounding Subsonic Eye.
The trio — guitarist Lucas Tee, bassist Sam Venditti, and drummer Farizi Noorfauzi — first met as diploma students at LASALLE College of the Arts. In their early days, they bonded over the precision of math rock and the intensity of emo’s technical side but eventually grew to appreciate more styles later on. Their debut album Hope You’re Doing Well, Michaella (2022) captures that shift. The record leans on blunt, diaristic lyrics and the kind of guitar crunch associated with bands like Title Fight, yet it resists emo’s more theatrical tendencies. Instead, songs such as “7AM” and “Insult Through Injury” thrive on tight, direct hooks. “Become Again,” one of the album’s heaviest moments, highlights the band’s collaborative dynamic, with all three members trading vocal lines over restless, back-and-forth grooves.
By the time they reached the 2024 EP benjabes!, the group began stretching that formula. The record opens with a surprising detour: slurred half-rap verses delivered by rapper-producer Mary Sue, a longtime collaborator of Noorfauzi. From there, the band gradually slips back into the guitar-driven sound listeners recognize.
For CURB, emo remains a starting point rather than a boundary. The band sees genre labels as temporary signposts rather than a fixed identity. In that sense, Hope You’re Doing Well, Michaella reads almost like a diary — a record of someone confronting their own contradictions while trying to move forward.
Noisier, punk-leaning riffage surfaces in songs like “You’re Me But Worse” and “Blake & The Surf.” Both tracks seem more interested in the pull of friendships and fleeting fascinations than in the anxieties of growing up. In that sense, CURB taps directly into emo’s lineage, where immediacy and youth carry a kind of strange timelessness.
Shanne Dandan is for lovers. When talking to her, it feels like you’ve known her forever; almost like a seatmate you never stopped talking to in elementary school and would eventually share school lunches with. In the age of yearning and finding love on a tricky, slippery slope, Dandan possesses a rare trait– she simply loves the way she loves. It’s a privilege to get to connect with artists in the local scene, they’re not to be put on pedestals because the stage itself is level with everyone else most of the time. Talking to them about their artistry can be done anywhere and sounds just like a Facetime call; and that’s exactly how Dandan approached the simplicity of love and how overcomplicating it is bound to happen, but that’s not what love is going to be like forever.
It was almost surprising to learn then, that Shanne Dandan’s introduction to music was anything but intimate. Like many children shone onto the spotlights of stardom, Dandan started her career at around eight years old and at thirteen upon joining ABS-CBN’s very first The Voice Kids with immense pressure, however, she later deflated it through her discovery of passionate writing. She began breaking free from the child-star bubble through connecting with the Manila Sound Era of OPM through the love and help from her grandmother, she then began a series of covers and being invited to collaborate on soundtracks from films such as “My Husband, My Lover”, “Breathe Again”, and later “100 Awit Para Kay Stella”. Dandan then explored the music scene and later released her debut album in 2024, “Kung Iyong Mamarapati”, where she dissects her own vulnerability and relationship with everything emotional.
Her new single, “Labs Kita”, is a tune to look out for this Valentines season, aiming for a more wholesome approach and homage to lovey-dovey OPM ballads, Dandan gracefully converses on her songwriting process and experiences.
**This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
FA:What kinds of music did you grow up listening to, and how did those early influences stay with you?
Shanne Dandan: Growing up, I was really a different person, I wouldn’t really say I was an artist because before I was just being a performer. Since I grew up doing competitive singing then joining singing contests, I thought talaga na, ‘Well, it was a different time naman din before.’ Before, the only way for you to make music – or if you’re a singer, is that you have to join singing contests para ma “discover” ka. So, dinaanan ko yung path na ‘yon, bata pa ako as in! Nag start ako parang mga eight years old? Seven years old? Very young. I got exposed sa industry ng ganong ka aga. Pero music-wise, yung listening ko, na-adapt ko siya sa, syempre, kasama ko sa bahay, yung lola ko, my mom, and my dad. We’re all very musically inclined din, my mom is a singer, lola ko also a singer. So every day we were all listening to music palagi. Lola was always blasting yung radio niya. And yun, I grew up listening to that kind of music, yung pinapakinggan ng lola ko which was music from Pilita Corrales, Cely Bautista, Ella del Rosario… Nakalimutan ko yung channel sa radio, pero parang Sunday radio everyday [laughs] may kaunting religious [themed] podcasts… Pero laging ganon, so growing up, na adapt ko talaga siya and ever since, mahilig talaga ako sa mga lumang bagay. Tapos ayun, na dala ko siya and even nung nagkaroon nakong ng idea and ng c-change na yung environment towards the entertainment industry, meron nang, Instagram, Meron nang YouTube, so mas namotivate ako na “ah okay, ‘di lang pala ito yung tanging ‘way’ ko to become who i want to be!” So then I discovered the magic of songwriting nung siguro 15 ako? 14? Very late bloomer ako kasi up until that point in my life nag j-join parin ako sa mga singing contests, tas may na meet akong mga like-minded people na gusto yung mga bagay na gusto ko, dun ko lang na discover na “Ah I like to write pala” pero before songwriting i really liked writing as a journalist, I was in journalism clubs, and I’m a feature writer pero sa Tagalog/Filipino. Pagsulat ng lathalain! Mahilig ako magsulat ng mga short stories, fantasy, all that! When I discovered songwriting, narealize ko na “ah, may ganito pala, na you can blend your words tapos may melody,” parang nag merge yung dalawang hilig ko which is writing and singing! That’s when I also set boundaries sa family ko, sabi ko ayoko na mag join ng singing contests. Hindi nagustuhan ng mom ko kasi very stage mom talaga yung mom ko– di niya naiintindihan! Sabi niya “Huh? Hindi ‘wag ka diyan” tas nung una, sumasama siya sa mga gigs ko, sa mga bars, and hindi niya maintindihan kasi sanay siya sa mga gigs na ang dami nanonood kasi I used to sing in hotels and events talaga. I would always sing covers lang. So nung nakita niya na ang konti nanonood sakin, ang didilim ng mga bars… pero eventually naging supportive naman siya! Ayun mas naempower ako when I started going to communities that appreciate my craft. But to answer your question, I am very much influenced by my Lola and nag rereflect ‘yun to who I am today and what kind of music I write.
FA:I had a conversation with my friends, and nasabi ko na parang harana na reversed roles yung mga songs mo, kasi with harana, yung audience or yung muse ang highlight kasi sa kanila nadedeclare yung pag-ibig, but with your songwriting, it highlights your own love for your muse.
Shanne Dandan: [Laughs] I feel like nag rereflect din sa craft ko, yung music ko, yung sarili ko! Na I have so much love to give. As in, when you meet my family we are very OA kami, very expressive kami. We always say “I love you,” “ingat ka”, never nawalan ng ganong lambingan sa family ko kaya feeling ko kahit ano gawin ko, okay lang talaga.
FA: When did you realize that you can actually dive into the songwriting world and write your own songs without being under the pressure of childhood stardom or being under the spotlight?
Shanne Dandan: Oh, this is a really good question. Medyo naiiyak na ako… Charot! After joining singing contests, sobrang na drain talaga ako … Syempre hindi alam ng mga bata na work pala yun, may money involved sa ganong industry, akala ko kumakanta lang ako and syempre gusto ko lang mapasaya yung parents ko and family ko ganon. Dati talaga, ayoko maging singer. Introverted ako na bata kaya dati hindi ako natatanggap sa mga auditions for TV kasi wala daw akong personality eh kailangan sa TV na may personality ka or “bibo kid”. So I joined two singing contests on TV, the Voice Kids and sa TV5. Sa TV5 ako naging champion. But after the voice kids, sabi ko ayoko na! Ayoko na kumanta ulit. [laughs] tas nag aral na ako nun, i think was junior in highschool nun. As a kid, I couldn’t understand what losing meant, I got really sad when I got eliminated– not because I wanted to win, but because nadisappoint ko parents ko. So sabi ko “ayoko na, gusto ko na mag aral” and then i pursued journalism at mas naging active ako sa school. After joining that second contest tas nanalo na ako, sabi ko “okay masaya naman siguro yung family ko, so ayoko na. Ayoko na ulit mag ganito.” That’s when I discovered and met indie artists! The very first people that I met from the music scene was sila ate Cherry, Bea Lorenzo, Jellie Villanueva, silang tatlo! Sila ang itinuturing kong mothers, mothers ko sa music ko. They inspired me very much. Minotivate nila ako to sing, to write my own songs and I really got inspired by their own music din lalo na kay ate Jellie– I think we make the same music in the way na may pagka-emotional, storytelling [elements], and also the singing, it’s soulful singing. Tuloy tuloy na after that.
FA: Did you ever talk to your younger self as you grew and realized the person you are now outside of childhood stardom?
Shanne Dandan: I didn’t really do that [talk to my younger self] at that time because I was still a child– I started really connecting with my younger self with my inner child nung eto na, when I made my first album, and parang more on reassurance sya– hala… nakakaiyak [laughs] – I reassured myself na “Hey you’re going to be proud of future me” ganon.
FA: How do you navigate the line between Shanne Dandan the artist and Shanne Dandan the person, and how has reconnecting with your younger self shaped who you are today?
Shanne Dandan: Feeling ko nag evolve talaga ang pagkatao ko in the past few years, when I first started, I felt really connected with myself and then as time goes by medyo nag drift away sya kasi I started focusing on other things tapos nawala yung spark nawala yung passion ko with my own music tapos ngayon, sobrang connected na yung regular self ko outside of gigs and work. My creativity as an artist is also very connected kasi kung dati wala akong drive to write about songs about my internal feelings, lagi lang ako nagsusulat kapag nag kwento yung friend ko about their lovelife and gagawin kong topic yun or inspiration ko sa song tas di ako nakakasulat ng songs about ano talaga na feel ko kaya hirap ako magsulat ng love songs and puro conceptual songs, pero when I started connecting with my inner child and then past ko, accepting that I had a painful past and wala akong magagawa dun and i just chose to be grateful for that because if it weren’t for that, i wouldn’t be where i am today. So when I started setting my mindset sa ganong perspective, bumuhos lahat ng inspiration and mas nakasulat ako ng mas connected na songs and mas “ako” siya. Feeling ko wala talagang difference yung personal artistry ko and yung outside music self ko.
FA: How do you balance being vulnerable in your music while protecting yourself as a person?
Shanne Dandan: Actually, pretty recently din, mas nagiging brave na ako to be very vulnerable sa music ko kasi I stopped thinking about what other people are gonna think about me or these songs. Ito yun eh, ito ang pinagdaanan ko, ito yung gusto kong isulat. I know may mga taong [mararamdaman na] same yung story or may similar experience na makaka connect dun sa songs ko. Yung yung favorite ko rin about releasing music: yung mga taong nag memessage sakin, nag re reach out sakin na “Oh my gosh Shanne, kahit sakin, lahat ng mga stages mo sa buhay ko may narelease kang kanta,” – Very memorable moment, may isang girl na nag message sakin na kunyari may pinagdadaanan siya tas nirelease ko daw yung “Kailan Ba Ako Magiging Masaya?”, nagbreak daw sila ng jowa niya tapos nirelease ko daw yung “Iyakin” di pa daw siya nakaka move on, tapos nirelease ko yung “Di Na Babalik Sayo” naka move on na daw siya, nasama ako sa lahat ng stages ng life niya kahit hindi ko siya kilala. Doon ako kumukuha ng motivation to be more vulnerable and to show more vulnerability. Dati kasi, I was a very vulnerable pero I was sharing too much on the internet at that time, ngayon, I learned how to set boundaries. I learned that when you share too much online, may mga tao nagkakaroon ng parasocial relationship sayo and then may lakas ng loob sila to judge yung life mo and your choices. So now, I only share my vulnerability through music. Yun yung boundaries ko at sobrang na eenjoy ko!
We were all recording [Labs Kita] na and pinakinggan ko yung mix niya, naisip ko ulit na “Ang sweet ko naman, ganto ako mag mahal!”
–Shanne Dandan
FA: Let’s talk about your new track “Labs Kita”, What do you hope listeners take away from this track when they’re navigating their own perspective of love?
Shanne Dandan: Baklaan. Guys, let’s be real.. Charot! [Laughs] I want it to be such a safe space for everyone na nagmamahal. I want to tell everyone that your love is sacred. Your love is supposed to be celebrated. Very straightforward din kasi yung song eh! It’s not really a love song that hides in metaphors, walang ganong! Gusto ko “Matulog ka ng mahimbing tapos pagkagising mo ikikiss kita!” Walang “Aabutin ko lahat ng bituin sayo” hindi! As in, “Good morning, tapos kiss tayo,” ganon! Yung song na yon, Labs Kita, nasulat ko lang siya randomly, nag stay ako dito sa studio, natutulog yung partner ko in the other room, tapos naisip ko, “Hala, sana mahimbing ang tulog niya,” [laughs] tapos kinilig ako dun sa “Hala! Naisip ko yun? Parang ang sweet ko naman!” tapos dun na yung song nag set, then the melody sumunod na, very spontaneous yung songwriting na ginawa ko nung night nayon and then nung we were all recording it na and pinakinggan ko yung mix niya, naisip ko ulit na “ang sweet ko naman, ganto ako mag mahal!” [laughs] and then mas naempower ako kasi nafeel ko that it is a privilege to be loved by me! It’s so healing din, lalo na sa mga people like me who give too much and sobra-sobra talaga mag mahal. Gusto ko lang ireassure mga listeners ko na OKAY LANG! Alam mo yon? As long as you’re giving your all tas masaya ka sa love that you give to other people, that’s okay because in a way that’s also loving yourself. Hindi mo pinupull back yung sarili mo to feel everything, every positive thing. Spread love!
FA: Can you describe moments when singing becomes so emotional that it physically affects you, and how those moments shape your performance?
Shanne Dandan: Umiiyak talaga ako [laughs] maraming beses na nangyari yun, I get really overwhelmed with the situation lalo na yung tour ko for Kung Iyong Mamarapatin, ilang beses ako humagulgol, wala lang, iyakin ako! I am Mercury in Cancer tapos Gemini pa ako… ang dami kong nararamdaman sa buhay… [laughs]
FA: [laughs] GETSSSSSSSSSSS
Shanne Dandan: I just let it flow, pag nafefeel ko yung luha ko, pabagsakin ko siya pero hindi naman yung nakaka overwhelm siya. In a way, I’m grateful for those kinds of emotions na nag flood sakin whenever I sing because that just means na hindi nawawala yung passion ko for singing. Itinuturing kong instrument ko yung voice ko; the way guitarists play their guitars, keyboardists play the piano, yung voice ko ang sinustrum ko, so hindi ko maiiwasan maging emotional, that also just means din na grabe yung love ko for this craft, for voice as an instrument, hindi siya nawala kahit yung start ko medyo rough.
FA: When it comes to songwriting, it’s almost kind of a requirement to pour your heart out on a page or pour your heart out through the sound of a melody. So when it comes to songwriting for you, ano yung mga non-negotiables mo in the songwriting process?
Shanne Dandan: Sa songwriting, wala naman akong rules sa sarili ko, yung process ko kasi is nag sesketch ako sa voice notes– I don’t really play an instrument when I’m writing a song because I don’t want to box myself and limit myself to chords or keys on the piano para maexplore ko yung range ko sa melodies, so I sketch tapos nagkaroon kami ng jam [session] with my band, sila yung nag iinterperate sakin ng chords. Very visual yung isip ko, so the way I describe my ideas– hindi ko masasabi yung “Okay dito is D-flat,” hindi ako ganun eh! More on “gusto ko parang umuulan tapos nabasa ako sa ulan–” parang ganun ako mag describe ng feelings ko! [laughs] And sobrang connected and close kami ng band ko, as in family talaga, so they know what I’m trying to achieve musically, and alam ko pano sila kausapin about it.
FA: Writing with your band is such a good non-negotiable. Nakakapa nila yung pakiramdam mo tapos kaya nilang itranslate yun into music!
Shanne Dandan: Non-negotiable ko si Lui, yung nag p-piano sakin. Non- negotiable ko is yung may bading sa banda. Mas gets nila, mas gets namin [raises eyebrow, laughs] yung mga influences ko which is very Femme talaga. Yun yung non-negotiable ko! [laughs]
I’m surrounded by so many queer people na mahal na mahal ko talaga. Grabe din yung influence nila sa akin. All the queer artists that I listen to are also connected dun sa sinabi ko na non-negotiable ko yung bakla.
-Shanne Dandan
FA: Taking notes for myself…
Shanne Dandan: Can I just say, grabe yung influence ng queer people in my life. Ngayon ko lang din narealize na I’ve been queer my whole life. Iba lang naman din yung panahon dati, so when I opened up to myself and came out to my family, dun ko lang din narealize–pati yung mga friends ko– na alam ko na matagal na. I’m surrounded by so many queer people na mahal na mahal ko talaga. Grabe din yung influence nila sa akin. All the queer artists that I listen to are also connected dun sa sinabi ko na non-negotiable ko yung bakla.
FA: Your aesthetics and fashion styles are also very interconnected with who you are as a person, may pag ka-60s, may pag ka-70s that reflect yung musical upbringings mo, and I also noticed that you wear your hair natural! It’s rare to see an artist embrace their natural curls din kaya it’s so refreshing seeing someone be their authentic self. How did you develop that style?
Shanne Dandan: Matagal na! [laughs] I’m very connected pa rin sa music taste ng lola ko and mga pinakinggan ko nung bata pa ako. Visually, the films I consumed before and the books that I read are all from the 20th century. Sobrang fascinated ako dun sa aesthetic na iyon, nag start siya siguro nung 15 years old ako. Tumblr kid din ako dati! nagkaroon ako ng Tumblr mga 9 years old ako and naalala ko pa yung URL ko pa dati is “Shannederella” kasi love ko yung Cinderella na band…[laughs] Connected talaga yung style ko sa personality ko and sa music ko din kasi very visual ako mag isip, naiimagine ko yung magiging look ko, kasi I’m also a part time stylist. I really like enhancing yung fashion sense ng mga artists, mga musicians like myself and basing it on their personalities and moods. I think I developed that very young because when I was a young teenager naging art director ako for mga iba’t ibang bands before and nag evolve yung creative side ko as I got older.
FA: You mentioned the band Cinderella and your music is very much reminiscent of their songs back then especially with the way you use both tagalog and english in songs. How do you reinterpret classic Filipino pop influences like Cinderella, Didith Reyes, Ella del Rosario and even covering “Boy I love You” by the late Cherie Gil for a modern audience?
Shanne Dandan: I think there’s something about the way they sang their songs from that period of time. Like Yolly Samson from Cinderella, she passed away a very long time ago na, but when you listen to her voice parang ka-call mo lang siya. Sobrang lapit niya sayo kasi her voice really touches your heart. I feel like that touching energy is something that I also want to translate in my music. I reinterpret that energy when I did covers of songs from that era pero namomodernise ko siya in some way but I keep [the old-timey] singing from that era, hindi ko siya iniiba, pineperserve ko siya. I don’t know if this will make sense, pero yung pag ka-feminine ng mga songs nila from that time and the way they write it din. Parang, loving siya okay, pero sa POV ng isang babae, ganon yung gusto ko, yung softness… The Female Gaze!!
FA: What guides your choice when deciding which songs to cover? The feelings the song brings out in you, the way it allows you to explore your voice, do those two things meet?
Shanne Dandan: Wala, kasi requirement siya… Charot! [laughs] Kasi mostly I do covers from movies or OSTs, and lagi nangyayari where kailangan nila ng lumang kanta, ako kaagad ang iniisip nila na ipa cover sa kanta and I guess that’s a compliment kasi gustong gusto ko talaga kumanta ng mga lumang kanta. Sobrang love na love ko kasi as a writer and a literary enthusiast, love na love ko yung usage of Tagalog na sobrang grammatically correct talaga, tulad ng usage of apostrophe then letter Y (‘y), basta ganon! [laughs] Lahat ng natutunan ko when I was still a journalism student, na apply ko parin siya [sa songwriting] Anyway, when it comes to cover song choices that ako mismo pumipili, like with “Boy I Love You”, ako talaga pumili i-cover yun, blessed ako in a way kasi yung label that I’m in, they own most of the songs from the Manila Sound Era of OPM, nasa Vicor Music / Viva Music Group siya.
FA: That’s so cool! May access ka sa buong catalogue.
Shanne Dandan: Yeah! With “Boy I Love You”, favorite song siya ng lola ko so when I was thinking of doing a cover for my album yun ka agad yung song na naisip ko. Sa interpretation naman with that song, kineep ko yung pag ka-lungkot ng kanta pero in a way, nilagyan ko siya ng touch of happy longing from afar, loving from afar.
FA: Do you have any Filipino book recommendations?
Shanne Dandan: Favorite book ko ay kay Lualhati Bautista, “Bata, bata… Pa’no Ka Ginawa?”, Wala akong kinalaman dun sa politics ng book na yon nung binasa ko siya nung bata pa ako pero dun ko na-adapt most of my style in writing.
FA: How important is it to make music that pays homage to the original OPM sound? If so, what makes slow and highly emotional Filipino ballads stand out?
Shanne Dandan: Aside from the fact that I really enjoy that kind of music, I really enjoy performing those songs because it’s preserving Filipino culture. We are very westernised and those songs are also very westernised din pero yung Pinoy essence is still captured lalo na yung mga love songs ng Pinoy. Very hopeless romantic tayo as Filipinos. We describe being in love to someone in a very Filipino way, may pa-kilig-kilig pa [laughs]
Preserving Manila Sound is also important din kasi Manila Sound is a mix of different genres eh so may pop, may jazz, may soul, so yun din ang mga iniisip kong sound whenever may isunusulat akong kanta. It’s all about the heart.
FA: Was there a moment during writing or recording when you surprised yourself emotionally?
Shanne Dandan: Ang dami! [Laughs] Most of the songs na nasusulat ko ngayon is– I didn’t expect myself na magiging ganito ako ka-open sa music ko lalo with “Labs Kita” and yung first album ko. Para talaga akong nakawala sa cage, ganon yung feeling. When I was writing and recording “Kung Iyong Mamarapatin”, my main goal was to reintroduce myself as an artist and as a musician. You’ve seen a different version of me, but ito talaga ako; this is the music I grew up with, ito yung roots ko. But then I released it, and nakikita ko na siya sa Spotify, online, everywhere… Ako yung nagulat sa sarili kong growth na naging ganito ako ka-open… Slay… [laughs] Na-appreciate ko yung sarili ko for being that open and brave to write those songs, lalo na sa kantang “Kailan ba ako magiging masaya?”, When I was writing it I was in a very dark place and iniisip ko noon na secret song lang siya kasi ginawa ko lang siya to express what I was feeling. Pero, sobrang freeing din nung nirelease ko siya. Now, with “Labs Kita”, nainspire kaming lahat to do more and we’re now planning to create a new body of work, I’m so excited!
Feeling ko lahat ng kinds of pagmamahal, whether it’s directed to other people or to yourself, you’re also simultaneously hoping. Kung wala nang hope, asan na yung love? Mag best friend sila!
–Shanne Dandan
FA: A year after the album’s release, how do you now view the person who wrote these songs? Now that you’re in a stage where you can write more freely about your emotions, do you think it’s easier to write about affection or heartbreak?
Shanne Dandan: It depends kung anong phase ka na sa buhay mo, syempre if malungkot ka, mas madali magsulat ng malungkot na kanta. Lately, I find myself writing a lot of love songs. So I guess very in love talaga ako ngayon [laughs] Pero I’m not yet at that point na yung mga songwriters, grabe yung skills nila to re-imagine a very different situation na wala naman sila. But I’m still connected with myself and my emotions when I’m writing. Nowadays, I feel like it’s easier for me to write happier love songs about love and then more about myself – not necessarily about love naman pero my own self-discovery, coming of age, all that. Nasa phase ako sa life na may mga moments na napapaisip ka na “Hala, tumatanda na, there’s bills to pay,” Tas mga moments with your old friends now, but I choose not to dwell on the fact that we’re now growing old; I’m happy that I get to grow old with my friends and with my family and with the one I love. Ang saya lang.
FA: How did your collaboration with Shadiel shape the final sound of “Labs Kita”?
Shanne Dandan: Sobrang amazing, It has always been my dream to collaborate with Shadiel lalo na to record in his studio sa Baguio. I think the place has a lot of impact sa song, kasi Baguio is such a beautiful place ang lamig lamig pa puro nature, so ganon rin maririnig mo sa song. Shadiel has a lot of ideas na hindi ko maisip na ako lang or even my band, it helps a lot with the song if may ibang tenga na nakakarinig that’s outside of the circle of people na kasama mo palagi. Ang laking impact ng ibang ear. With the intro, siya yung nag isip nun. I feel very honored na na ka-work ko siya and him and his team are very down-to-earth and they’re not the type of music producers that have so many criticisms sa mga songs mo, they just let the artist be. They really believe in your craft and don’t try to change it. Sobrang saya.
FA: What was the biggest difference between producing this single and producing your previous album?
Shanne Dandan: Masaya na ako. Kasi Panay iyak lang talaga ako when I was recording my previous album– and not naman sad cries, more on happy cries talaga na “Oh my God, I did this, Oh my gosh natapos na naten”, sobrang na-attach kasi ako with the people na gumawa ng last album ko and also, syempre now. Sa “Labs Kita”, Si Lui parin, Pat, Duo, and Kurt, band ko talaga. The difference siguro is yung vibe ng song. “Labs Kita” is much lighter and happier, ganon din yung vibe namin sa studio, very light energy and chill lang!
FA: What can you say about your other upcoming projects, if you can say anything about it?
Shanne Dandan: I’m very excited for this year, especially kasi yung year na ‘to, is such a ground-breaking moment for me as an artist because I started being more accepting and na discover ko itong whole new side of songwriting. Na pwede pala magaan lang and masaya. Parang nag tatae ako ng kanta [laugs] But yeah! Lalo na sa Valentines, February is going to be a super busy month for us and people invite me to sing at their weddings and I really really love that kasi lagi ako umiiyak, ang cute, kahit kaninong kasal!
FA: Do you think that love can exist without hope?
Shanne Dandan: Feeling ko hindi! There are two sides of hope. When you love someone, they love you back. Syempre, may positive hope na we’re going to grow old together and magiging masaya lang tayo, but then, syempre, madami kayong ipagdadaanan, dadating sa point na mawawalan ka rin ng hope. But it’s all about the perspective and affirmations to yourself na you [and your partner] will get through this. Feeling ko lahat ng kinds of pagmamahal, whether it’s directed to other people or to yourself, you’re also simultaneously hoping. Kung wala nang hope, asan na yung love? Mag best friend sila!
In the middle of the vast ethernet lies a genre that has been stretched, flattened, recycled, and reborn more times than anyone can reasonably count. Shoegaze, once tied to distortion pedals, rehearsal rooms, and subcultural isolation, has since found a second life online, where riffs circulate as presets, moods become templates, and entire scenes form inside comment sections. Out of that churn emerged Wisp, a Thai-Taiwanese American musician whose rise traces how shoegaze slipped from niche fixation into one of the most accessible sounds of the 2020s.
Wisp’s earliest material, dating back to 2023, lived where many young artists now begin: alone in a bedroom, posting short instrumental clips online. Her early TikTok uploads leaned into shoegaze “type beat” structures, dense guitar layers looping into themselves, melodies hovering for the majority of the track. These clips spread quickly because her contemporaries understood how it could function in a compressed, scroll-first environment. Shoegaze became texture first, atmosphere before statement, something listeners could step into alongside a rich story that traces back to influences of noise rock and post-punk in the 80s.
That clarity carried into her first EP, Pandora released in 2024, which marked a shift from small snippets to fully formed songs. Tracks like “Pandora” and “Mimi” expanded her sound, pairing blown-out guitars with soft, hushed vocals that rarely rose above a whisper. Her voice became one of her defining traits, dreamy and lo-fi, sitting low in the mix as another instrument rather than a focal point. It gave the music a sense of closeness, as if the listener had stumbled into something private. At times, stepping into Wisp’s worldbuilding as the wall of noise envelopes the listeners one at a time.
As her audience grew, so did the scale of her work. Wisp’s songwriting eventually sharpened her sensibilities in writing more melodic pieces of music; Her arrangements thickened, and her live presence followed suit. What began as solo bedroom recordings translated into full-band performances capable of filling festival stages, all while keeping the grimy, internet-bred edge intact. Shoegaze, in her hands, did not lose its heaviness as it grew louder. It simply became easier to step into.
That evolution continues on her debut album If Not Winter released in 2025, where newer songs like “Black Swan” or “Sword” lean further into contrast. The guitars hit harder, the structures tighten, and the emotional palette darkens without drifting into excess. The whispery vocals remain, floating over walls of sound that feel heavier and more deliberate than before. It is music shaped by online beginnings yet no longer confined to them.
Wisp’s career reflects a broader shift in how shoegaze functions today. Detached from strict lineage and carried by platforms that reward immediacy, the genre has opened itself to a new generation. Through texture and a clear sense of mood, Wisp helped make shoegaze feel less like insular and more like a shared space for a wider audience, one that listeners could enter from anywhere and stay as long as they liked.
Within the populated stretches of Tokyo, Japan, lies the flood of acts and bands that start by crafting music, pursuing their own identity that continues to grow year by year. Coming from such a place is a band named Asunojokei, a four-piece blackgaze band that was formed back in 2014. Takuya Seki (bassist), Kei Toriki (guitarist), and Seiya Saito (drummer) were close friends since their teenage years, only meeting up with their vocalist, Daiki Nuno, through social media after watching a video of him covering a Converge song. Since then, they stuck together, starting their musical journey that will continue to break their limits.
While they started with a two-track demo release back in 2015, it is through their first EP in 2016, ‘A Bird in the Fault,’ that informs the start of what soundscape, melodic tone, and writing style they’ll keep building up into. Howling screams; pummeling streaks of blackgaze, post-hardcore, and other metal stripes; and numbed melancholic poetry are immediately attached to this band’s palette. Songs like “Silent Tears” go through their post-metal motions with these solemn guitars, just before Nuno starts shrieking and the wail of blast beats and stormy riffs that come afterward. And “Easy” tips the line within depressive black metal, most notably with the gloomy first few minutes, cultivating this downbeat atmosphere that continues getting more cavernous and stinging.
Two years later, their 2018 debut album, ‘Awakening’, amplifies what the band showcased beforehand and expands upon melodic prowess that caters to more potent songcrafting, with writing that consists of pushing past dour emotions despite feeling hopeless and lonely within a momentous city. Leaner cuts like “Double Quotation Mark” and “Ugly Mask” indulge within thunderous black metal passages on the former and shimmering rock tones on the latter, carving out Nuno’s ability towards spoken word, singing, and screaming. “Bashfulness of the Moon” and “Thin Ice” maximize their post-rock structures to a different level, where lilting cooldowns lead to explosive blackgaze turmaturges, with Nuno sounding guttural and snappy in his wails.
After releasing a couple of EPs throughout 2019 and 2020, they eventually took a bit more time before putting together ‘Island’, their sophomore record, which took a different direction in the way they compose their tunes. Said direction comes in the manner of implementing J-rock progressions to their post-hardcore and blackgaze roots, a blend of sound that this band manages to synergize in a big way. “Chimera” and “Diva Under The Blue Sky” simultaneously sound harrowing and magnetic all at once, bleary riffs and crushing screams become a bit brighter amid the accompanying J-rock melodies. There is happiness and company that’s worth looking forward to: A sign of forward momentum that is essential to the album’s songwriting, gently realizing that, despite the internal gloom that the protagonist is overwhelmed by.
That is not to say the straightforward blackgaze tones are left behind, as cuts like “The Forgotten Ones” and “The Sweet Smile of Vortex” sound more ferocious with the band’s refinement across production and songcrafting. Nuno’s howls and spoken word are crushing and emotive as ever, clawing across frigid blast beats and melodic crescendos that kept building up into a punchy resolution. A characteristic that carries the momentum of this album from front to back, allowing compositions to sound heftier and stickier than ever.
The seeds that came from that specific direction paved the path to their recent record this year, ‘Think of You’. Even moving further into that J-rock and J-Pop influences and leaning more into concise melodic structures, formulating a shorter, winter-themed album where the production and composition refinements are on full display. Said influences overall strengthen their signature blackgaze and post-hardcore bread-and-butter, crystallizing phenomenal melodic earworms that this band lands with gusto. “Magic Hour,” “Angel,” and “Stella” are invigorating as it is showstopping, with Nuno pulling out all the power into screams and the rest of the band pulling off dazzling melodic throughlines. “Dogma” still shows that, despite going in this direction, the band doesn’t forget their roots, with that blackgaze wall of sound combusts through its roaring riffs. So does the rampant rhythms of “In The City Where Cobalt Falls” with the soaring guitar passages and blast beats piercing through the skies.
This level of vigor proceeds to how frosty and brighter the album sounds, a tone that complements the yearning, thoughtful sensibilities that are plastered on its songwriting. Always finding hope and confidence, an uplifting energy that echoes through “The Farewell Frost” and “Tomorrow is Your Day”. Utilizing gleaming atmospherics, cavernous vocals, and fiery compositions to drive that tender optimism higher.
With each passing record, Asunojokei keeps flapping their wings and gradually crafting their own unique identity amidst Japan’s historic background towards its circulation of black metal and post-hardcore bands. Never leaving behind what they used to be in the past, just taking new steps to find a space that is their own. With an optimistic thoughtfulness being embraced that keeps shining brighter, the way that they’re going is up, flooding the skies with howls that put everyone awake.
In an industry driven by visibility and speed, Ourselves The Elves embody a DIY ethic that builds on showing up and sustaining community and embracing contradiction across a decade of making music together
There’s a tendency to frame longevity in the local underground scene as triumph, survival as spectacle, and persistence as proof of greatness. However, Ourselves The Elves don’t seem to be interested in that kind of narrative. A decade on from their debut EP, Geography Lessons, the band speaks less like veterans guarding a legacy and more like participants who never left. They’re still booking their own shows, printing CDs themselves, and keep the promise of never attaching to a money hungry music label. “DIY or die” is their stubborn yet gentle manifesto.
Formed in the early 2010s, Ourselves The Elves emerged as a college band in UP during a time when genre borders felt porous and gig lineups were wildly heterogeneous with rock bands sharing stages with DJs, electronic acts, and solo performers. For Ourselves The Elves, the underground has never been an abstract ideal. It’s always been logistical, relational, and deeply emotional; it is as interpersonal as it is intrapersonal.
Celebrating a decade of Geography Lessons, the band speaks of the EP with a mixture of disbelief and gratitude. What began as an exercise in recording and release, self-funded and self-distributed and nearly missing its own launch deadline, has proven unexpectedly enduring. Newer listeners continue to discover it, finding something current in its vulnerability. For Paula Castillo, who was once a fan before joining the band, finds that the EP’s continued resonance reflects the honesty of its songwriting and why it remains meaningful years later.
That honesty has always included contradictions. Despite the band’s name and their later embrace of “self” as a central theme in their music, Cabral is careful to point out that many of their early lyrics are self-deprecating, even harsh. Rather than offering clean affirmations, Ourselves The Elves wrote through the mess of early adulthood: loving and hating oneself simultaneously, navigating friendship, frustration, and moral uncertainty. Throughout their entire discography, self-love is an uneasy conclusion arrived at after sitting with extreme discomfort. It isn’t a simple commute with an extravagant destination. “It’s about embracing the self but it’s also about hating the self,” Aly says. Perhaps that realization is the crux of the Elves’ existence.
When venues close, what’s mourned isn’t just the loss of a stage, but the memories formed there by performers, organizers, and gig-goers alike. As lead guitarist Akira Medina reflects, the survival of any space depends on whether it genuinely serves a community. The emphasis on service–on showing up for one another– runs through the band’s history. Their collaborations, from Petersen Vargas’ film work to community-run gigs and collectives reveal a culture built less on individual ascent and more on shared emotional labor.
Crucially, the band refuses to retroactively professionalize their story. Even now, they hesitate to call themselves pioneers. DIY, for them, was never a branding exercise. They sustained a garden of sound and technicolor. They sustained a way of working where bands double as organizers, collaborators, and caretakers of one another’s creative lives. What Ourselves The Elves has taught the youngins of the scene is to hold on to DIY as a means of retaining agency and not purity politics, or as Ponch Salvador puts it: to be cringe, after all, is to be free.
In an industry increasingly shaped by speed, visibility and metrics, Aly Cabral, Akira Medina, Paula Castillo, and Ponch Salvador exemplify the DIY ethic of not relying on shortcuts nor do they treat it like a hustle. Not mastery, not dominance, care. Care for process, for people, for the slow work of becoming, If their legacy lies anywhere, it’s in proving that staying can be just as radical as breaking through.
FA:What were your highlights from the 2016 era of the music scene that you still wish were prevalent in the scene today?
ALY: I think yung diversity of events at that time, the indie scene was thriving really well– not to say that it’s dying right now, but yun yung time na ang daming lumabas na bagong bands na sabay sabay and ang daming gigs where bands would play in the lineup along with different genres. There were also DJs, there were bands, there were electronic acts, and solo acts. So I guess mas buhay yung time before the pandemic, relatively yung music scene in general.
FA: Do you think that the scene is going through a “recession?”
PONCH: I feel like the crowd just became more inclusive and perceptive towards others that you like.
PAULA: Yeah. And I don’t think that recession equates to things being cancelled and whatnot. Mas nagiging aware [of the scene] na kasi yung kids nowadays. They’re more aware of different things going on.
I think that eventually, if a venue [at risk of closing] will survive, factors like how accessible it is to young people who go to gigs and questioning if it serves a community [will help] keep it alive.
–Aki Medina, Ourselves the Elves
PONCH: I don’t think there’s a [scene] recession going on.
AKI: I think it happens all the time but it’s not really [a recession]. There are always changes– it could be like how active the scene is, yung venues- lalo na yung venues. Personally, we lost a few of our favorite venues due to them closing down.
ALY: I agree with that. I mean, for sure there’s an economic recession pero when it comes to art and music. It’s affecting yung economic positions namin, it’s hard to get together all the time now because we have work and everything but we still find ways. A lot of new young artists now rely on the internet as well and social media so nag adapt yung mga artists.
FA: I want to ask Aki about when venues like Red Verb Studio or Route 196 closed, how did that make you feel then and what do you think about the venue shortage now?
AKI: I’m not sure about now, , I haven’t had the time to go out and explore as much personal connection [within the scene] lately. So when it closed down, I reminisced a lot of memories there with the band and as a gig goer. I think now, I see that there are new venues popping up and a lot of younger people trying to keep these new venues alive. I think that eventually, if a venue [at risk of closing] will survive, factors like how accessible it is to young people who go to gigs and questioning if it serves a community [will help] keep it alive.
FA: It’s been a decade since Geography Lessons was released, what does that album mean to you now both individually and as a band?
ALY: It’s been a decade. It’s been that long. It’s amazing that we were able to sustain this band and that friendship for longer than that. I feel like things are coming full circle because it’s also not just 10 years for our album but also for the film of our friend Petersen Vargas, which inspired the EP. And now, I still get to collaborate with Petersen and I still see him a lot more recently. So there’s a full circle feeling of collaboration and working together and all those years made me appreciate the music more – seeing how we’ve grown then as a band.
PONCH: It’s just wild for me. I didn’t think so many people would like an EP of all things or something like an EP would have stuck with them for so long or if they heard it for the first time. I’m still surprised to this day. Yeah, it just surprises me that people still like it or if they listen to it or it feels so fresh to them if they listen to it for the first time.
AKI: I think from that time it was a good exercise in learning how to be recording and releasing material. Kasi we’re a very independent band so usually we just do our do things talaga ourselves. So a lot of the stuff that we did ourselves were printing the CDs to selling it in shows. I think muntik nang di umabot yung CDs when we released it at the gig so parang it’s a good learning experience in being a band and like from all aspects, especially the songwriting and recording part.
PAULA: It’s amazing to see how it resonates with younger people nowadays. Ako kasi, before even joining the band, I was a fan of Ourselves The Elves as well. So listening to the EP back then, I could tell that it was timeless that the songwriting is timeless and it’s nice to see it resonate with people nowadays parin. So it’s nice that younger people got to still connect with it nung pandemic and there was a need to hear it or see it live. Nowadays it’s nice to experience that.
FA: When I watched Some Nights I Feel Like Walking by Petersen Vargas, I wanted to ask Aly what it was like to score the film with your brother as well as implementing your own personal tastes in music while also including “Force Field” by Ourselves The Elves in the film. How are you able to decipher what goes where?
ALY: It’s mostly on Petersen. Since he’s the director, he guides me a lot with the music that I do. He was actually the one who decided to put “Force Field” there because we were trying to figure out what was the best music for that– whether or not I should do a score for that, so for me, the way that I score my solo compositions is not separate from the music that we do for OTE. Madali naman siya i-connect. For me, the band’s music is a continuation of what I do now as a solo artist.
Photo from ellyphantart
FA: You guys have truly paved the way for the DIY scene that we know today. How do you hold space for your earlier music like the Geography Lessons EP until you released Self Is Universe? How do you feel about the mark that you’ve made on the scene today? Is it something that you guys think about?
PONCH: Personally, I guess it’s because I don’t go out as much probably, I seldom see DIY stuff popping up. If not I mean the shows, you know, people from like Sining Shelter a lot of those are DIY and a lot of the data are DIY. Do we want to call ourselves pioneers of DIY? I don’t think so. I’m pretty sure other people have done that before us. Correct me if I’m wrong, but Eggboy’s record is DIY.
PAULA: Tsaka yung collective nila Mikey, like Ciudad. They’re also DIY. We also learned from them as well. Yeah. We didn’t pave the way in terms of DIY–I mean not us as a band but the scene that we were in before the mid early 2010s. We were not just in bands before kasi we also tried to do shows where we book shows by ourselves, like, nag organize dati si Aly ng shows, nag organize din ako ng shows before, so, it’s not just [Ourselves The Elves], it was the community then before .
FA:How did it feel like to be a part of productions then versus now? Are there things that are different with how bands organize their own gigs?
PAULA: On our last show I was also organizing– we were also running the show. Aly ran the bar and then I was a part of the prod, so, I was making sure things were going on smoothly. But then again, I was still coordinating with my bandmates like their preferences or tending to people. It was really tight knit because of the lineup on that show as well. We’re also bandmates of bands that were there. Now may mga DIY shows the bands would organize it and like run it themselves. Let’s just say like there’s different skills of um shows nowadays as well. So, I can’t disregard DIY band members themselves.
I feel more confident knowing that people actually like the music and the lyrics even if I know my personal point of view. So like there’s comfort knowing that and that definitely helped me become more confident in expressing my feelings not just through music but like generally as a person.
–Aly Cabral
FA: What made the band decide not to hide their true emotions under elves, but moreso, embrace the “self” through lyricism and rhythmic experimentation?
ALY: Thematically, it does deal with embracing the self, but I actually think that a lot of our lyrics then are actually self-deprecating sometimes. So, I feel like it’s showing the reality of how you feel about yourself, especially if you’re going through that [coming of age] we started during college and then we were like making music that expresses your personal lives. So, at that age I feel like I also had a lot of frustration about myself and the world. So I was just trying to convey that honestly with the lyrics. Yeah. It’s about embracing the self but it’s also about hating the self sometimes if you did something wrong.
FA: Were there any like I know unexplainable feelings that you were able to put in songs?
ALY: I think yeah what I just mentioned which is the conflicting feeling of loving yourself and also hating yourself at the same time but in the end having that sort of epiphany or awakening na ‘oh in the end you’re stuck with yourself so self love parin or love wins!’ So right there all these complicated feelings now from early adulthood parang ganon. All mixed feelings like not just love but also friendship and conflicts and everything.
FA: Aly, how did writing and journalism impact your personhood and the things you believe, which are also reflected in songwriting/instrumentation?
ALY: It definitely made me feel more fearless kasi knowing that I could have this channel to express my feelings honestly and share it to the world. So merong feeling of I guess feeling bold but at the same time vulnerable because these are personal feelings. So right now, I feel more confident knowing that people actually like the music and the lyrics even if I know my personal point of view. So like there’s comfort knowing that and that definitely helped me become more confident in expressing my feelings not just through music but like generally as a person.
Photo from ellyphantart
FA: What advice would you give to musicians in the scene who want to have a long impact like Ourselves The Elves?
PAULA: I feel like number one is to find bandmates that are your friends. I feel like yun yung secret sauce namin. We are all now busy nowadays individually but I feel like I could hang out with each one of them outside music and then [my other advice is to] cultivate yung chemistry niyo as people and as bandmates inside of whatever unit that you are in [whether] as friends or as bandmates, dun niyo ma mimix yung creativity niyo or yung talent niyo together seamlessly.
AKI: My answer is more of how to navigate the industry or like the system which people like us operate in. I think it’s important to know [how] set boundaries for yourself and know what you’re comfortable with doing, how you interact with other entities, other organizations or whatever. And if you’re not sure what you want to do, I think you should know what you’re not comfortable doing. I think it’s very important to keep yourself in check and set your own boundaries.
ALY: Find your tribe talaga and collective. At the same time, set boundaries with not just each other or with people in the scene, but also people outside the scene especially. Tas yung take ko naman is that I really believe in DIY honestly. Like yung saying “DIY or die”, I believe in that because we’ve been like that for years and now we’re still like that. We still enjoy it. Of course, may mga pros and cons, but feel like for me it’s the best way to go. And also other than that, it helps to have a clear vision kasi that’s going to have a clear direction where you want your music or your career to go and then everything else will follow.
PONCH: If you want your band to just be blasting music, I think, as much as I want to do it, I’m pretty sure the rest of my bandmates don’t want to do it kasi. And it’s really for a better cause but I guess don’t do lame shit. I guess don’t do whatever seems trendy. I feel like that’s like a one way ticket to just lasting three six months [in a band]. Just be yourself. Kahit cringe siya kasi to be cringe is to be free, you know. PAULA: That is so you Ponch. [Laughs]
The hip-hop scene in Singapore only continues to grow with every passing moment. Groups such as Construction Sight, Triple Noize, and Urban Xchange marked their impact in the 90s and the 2000s, yet it took quite some time before the culture flourished throughout the country. In the 2010s, more artists such as Akeem Jahat, Yung Raja, THELIONCITYBOY, ShiGGA Shay, and Masia One eventually made their name in the mainstream, carrying and shaping what is there to be shown in Singapore’s Hip-Hop space.
Once the 2020s hit the surface, there came an artist who struck an abstract niche within the underground. Due to the isolation brought back in the pandemic, Siew Png Sim – with his love for acts like MIKE, Earl Sweatshirt, MF DOOM, and Navy Blue – dons the Mary Sue moniker and starts to illustrate his sound. Rougher beats, decisive flows, and pensive storytelling are the name of the game. He slowly shaped those foundations through EPs across 2020 to 2021.
Those EPs are just a preparation for what he will be putting out since then. In 2022, he dropped his debut record, ‘KISSES OF LIFE’. Here, Mary Sue, alongside the insane row of producers and features across the world, establishes his creative tendencies in full as he lets loose personal experiences of grief and recovery, wading through the loss of his grandfather and the struggle with his grandmother’s dementia. It’s a reflection with memories that pulls him back and pushes him forward, swirling around production that’s simultaneously light and dark. “Moving On!” and “Spirits/Name” stretch out samples to a distressingly glitchy degree, whilst “Cavalry” and “Paper Generals” stall in muted but lighter beats. A juxtaposition that Mary Sue’s weathered delivery passes through without any trouble at all, like a conflicted spirit going through shades of grey.
The following year sees him expound on his creative streak, with three albums that were released within a few months of each other. ‘For Sure’ replaces abstract collages with tangible instruments, a backdrop that soothes the ragged introspection he evokes in his bars. ‘OK!’ follows suit, a collaborative effort with other South East Asian beatmakers and musicians (Cravism, ABANGSAPAU, etc) to construct a breezier record, adorned with boom bap and pop rap to set the vibe. In contrast, Mary Sue’s collaboration with UK producer Psychedelic Ensemble flips into experimental territory on ‘CACOPHONOUS DIGRESSIONS, A RECORD OF MOMENT IN TIME,’ where the beats blare and crackle in every space, yet never smother Mary Sue’s presence on the microphone.
His constant work ethic is showcased even further through the “Voice Memos” releases that he pushes out, where even in the midst of traveling to a foreign place, his knack for writing never stops. Recording 2022’s ‘VOICE MEMOS ACROSS A COUPLE BODIES OF WATER’ when he was in New York City for two weeks, and 2024’s ‘Voice Memos From A Winter In China’ when he was on a winter tour in China with Singaporean jazz quintet, Clementi Sound Appreciation Club. His wandering thoughts during those times are now encapsulated within these projects, containing a well of memories that he’ll cherish long-term.
2025 is an important year that shows Mary Sue’s growth as an overall artist. With the help of the Clementi Sound Appreciation Club, these two forces managed to craft a unique spirit that shines within Mary Sue’s overall discography, ‘Porcelain Shield, Paper Sword’. In comparison with most of his works thus far, he wields a keen disposition behind live instrumentation, a distinction that propels Mary Sue’s performances and lyric-making to the next level. Diverting away from his influences and embracing a style that he can call his own.
The album’s major perspective on a time-traveling oracle observing the ambiguous and chaotic histories of the world is greatly reflected in the writing and sound that informs this character concept. Mary Sue’s observant insight and assured delivery resonate with the Clementi Sound Appreciation Club’s burnished melodic contributions. Gentle acoustics nimble across spare horns and keys of ‘Thief and the Bell’, creating serenity curtaining the ignorant thief who stole from the village. Rumbling guitars and drums are emphasized on ‘Haste’ and ‘Minesweeper’, creating stabs of heaviness that unveil the violence unspooling past centuries. ‘Horse Acupuncture’ is swallowed up with haunting gongs around burly guitar passages, fitting Mary Sue, Agung Mango, and Nakama.’s observations of people who are shunned by those who get to control the perception of others.
With the release of this record, it only shows Mary Sue on an upward stream; his craft within Singapore’s underground hip-hop only gets more acknowledgement and refinement. His grounded experiences only give him more to speak about, a hopeful presence that shines amidst the swarm of darkness that surrounds him. With his newfound sword and shield equipped, his thoughtful wisdom leads to wider ground being shown, then gradually explored with a taut mindset.
The singular author of his work, Jason Fernandez, is a textbook solo artist. His brainchild, Hazylazy, remains his closest collaborator, revisiting the Antagonisms demos he released from his bedroom years ago.
Written by Hannah Manuel
Born in the post-internet age, Hazylazy is the project of Tagalog native Jason Fernandez. An indie rock internet secret of the early 2020s, Jason made waves in the (then online) scene as the solo mind behind The Resentment Segment. Tracks like Ultrawanker and Juxtapose were the lockdown anthems that eventually funneled crowds new and old back into dive bars and in-person gig venues. With Antagonisms, Hazylazy reemerges transformed, putting together years of musical exploration into a cohesive and deeply personal thesis.
The genealogy of Hazylazy precedes the act itself. Spending his formative years in Laguna, Jason found his first audience performing with his five schoolmates at fairs in the local Catholic school circuit as Serotonin. In step with the rise of indie bands all over the country, led by the likes of Autotelic and Ben&Ben, the six-piece Biñan-grown band had the classic OPM toolkit at their disposal while somehow still maintaining impressive individuality for an adolescent outfit. Part of this ought to be due to Jason, who composed the original pieces they performed in between covers. Initially writing songs in the drum seat of the band, Jason first made his way to the mic when the band’s vocalist quit. This late 2010s indie rock sensibility transforms into something more atmospheric toward the latter part of Serotonin’s lifespan. When the band quietly dissipated into college and work, the singer-songwriter took to SoundCloud for a new solo project, where a trajectory of his work remains in view today.
From chillwave to jangle pop to neo-psychedelia, Hazylazy is heavily inspired by the wild array of musical inspirations Jason holds dear. A multisensory and multidisciplinary trip, Antagonisms is the matured mastery of Jason’s exploration project years in the making. The singular composer and producer of the album, Jason’s closest collaborator is himself. Many of the tracks are years older than they let on, beginning as demos back when Hazylazy was still in its seedling stages. With an ethos of total authorship and a creative control of the acoustic environment he molds, the indie rock auteur revisits old compositions and converses, eventually completing a years-spanning project long awaited since his last release four years ago. He orchestrates his listening experience down to a T. From the warm decay of lo-fi synthesizers, to drumlines—a channel he is well acquainted with—like heartbeats in their earnestness, the time it has taken to get him here is a reward made even riper for those who were there with him from the start.
Back in time, it was impossible to imagine Hazylazy as real. The adulterated frequencies of the real world were seemingly not the place for Jason’s ethereality. The boundlessness of the net—its lack of physical constraints, its endless archives, its potential for anonymous reinvention—serves Jason well, so well that it is easy to conflate it with the separate and equally boundless entity that is his mind. As time and a return to on-site gigs permitted, the underground bore witness to a new master. From an etiology of melancholy, Antagonisms arrives noisily and unapologetically, not giving a fuck about what the world thinks, blazing a trail through it anyway. A storied creation and a boundless frontier, Antagonisms is something to look forward to on the live stage.
**This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
HM: There are songs in Antagonisms and related to antagonisms written with years in between them and the final album. Specifically, the tracks “Another Self-Loathing Demo” and “ANTAGONISMS” which were released four and three years ago, respectively.
Hazylazy: Yes, which is funny ‘cause “ANTAGONISMS” did not make it to the album. But “antagonisms”, it latched on as a name. Nagkaroon pa nga ko ng iba’t ibang album names in mind, and I was trying my best to not use antagonisms because I was telling myself na “Ah may nakarelease na track ng antagonisms, yeah, whatever”. But I figured if that’s the name that works, so be it. I just went for “Antagonisms” even though there already is a song called “Antagonisms” and wala siya sa mismong album.
HM: Is there any relation between the two “Antagonisms”?
Hazylazy: It felt like [the song] started the new sound for me? That’s when I separated from the previous sound, which is the sound that most people have heard from the Resentment Segment, and “ANTAGONISMS” was a big jump from what I usually make. It was a good starting point too, in a way that song started everything. And then lyrically, the album of Antagonisms fits the title. Parang kumbaga the “ANTAGONISMS” as a single, the one on SoundCloud, the sonic aspect and the lyric aspect don’t really fit in the album I’ve made, so I didn’t think to put it in. But looking back, the title really worked with how the lyrics were written: unapologetically saying anything, unapologetically following the sound that you want, not caring about what other people say to me. It’s like being antagonistic in a way, putting yourself first, being selfish quote unquote.
HM: The singly credited composer, writer, and producer of your project. These are songs you’ve written with years in between them.
Hazylazy: Yes, years apart but it’s not as if I’ve been working on those songs for the whole time interval. I just let it sit there and then when I decided I was gonna start recording the album that’s really the only time I revisit the song and there were changes here and there but not so much. I would say just production wise, na may onting adds lang and onting subtraction of things
HM: In a way you’re revisiting a past iteration of yourself as well, in the year you first created those demos. As the sole auteur to your music, what is it like collaborating with a past version of yourself on this album?
Hazylazy: It had a lot to do with self-doubt. I’m pretty sure some artists would find it really difficult and find themselves having second thoughts, na parang “Dapat ba kineep ko nalang yung older version?” or “Am I overdoing it?” It’s more of a struggle in that sense. I would say it’s that. It’s more of a difficult situation rather than a very fulfilling one. But again after finishing the album it was very fulfilling, at the same time the constant push and pull like, “Will you keep the old version?” or after numerous demos, after months pass I’ll think “Did I over do things?” As a solo artist, there’s no one telling you it’s done. Ikaw lang makakasabi na when it’s done. I don’t have bandmates to say na “Tama na yan, you’re overdoing this”. But yes, it’s more difficult than fulfilling, but it doesn’t mean I’m not fulfilled. It’s more struggle than fun. Constant monologue ‘yon, I’d say.
I only feel when a piece is finished is when I’m really happy to listen to it. I am guilty when I say I listen to my songs.
-Hazylazy
HM: Especially for something as multilayered as Antagonisms, I see the difficulty singlehanded authorship of a work can place on you. It must be so pressuring.
Hazylazy: If I must add to your question earlier, of constant struggle and keeping the past self, the past versions of the songs, I would say the best example there would be “SLEAZE PLEASE”. I really struggled telling myself when the song was done. Talagang nahirapan ako. But the idea of that song is really a two-part which I believe I was able to pull off. It’s a prime example of my struggle. I didn’t know how to finish it. Actually at one point pinakinig ko rin sa live bandmates ko. I feel like during the process of making the whole thing, one thing I had to learn is trusting my own gut? That you have to trust your instinct. And what I had to unlearn was asking for feedback way too much. Because being a solo artist, you kinda feel like there is no one else to give you feedback. Ask yourself first. Kasi mas important talaga what I think versus what some other people might think.
HM: You mentioned tracks like “SLEAZE PLEASE” going through multiple iterations during the creation process. When does a song feel finished to you?
Hazylazy: With “SLEAZE PLEASE”, I really had a hard time with the transition of the first and second part. So I had different versions written down, and I tried out different layouts of sound. There was even one version where the spoken word comes in as a standalone with no background music; to me it felt way too long. Yung mga ganun lang. I only feel when a piece is finished is when I’m really happy to listen to it. I am guilty when I say I listen to my songs.
HM: I feel like there was someone that said—I think it was Donald Glover—“I feel like musicians are the only people that can’t benefit off of their own work.” If you’re a chef, you can make your own food, and then people won’t be like, you’re so mayabang.
Hazylazy: During the process of making the whole album, [I usually critique] my own work [like] “Is there anything I can change?” or “Is the flow correct?” I’m just basically judging myself, for lack of better term. Once I’m really happy to listen to it, I feel like I’m going to enjoy listening to this even if as a different person, if I didn’t do this, if I found this album randomly, would I like it? That’s the perspective I get. As a musician, you’re also a music fan. Taking that perspective, would I also feel, as a listener, that it feels finished? Does it feel complete? I guess the main indicator is just how it feels. Very cliche, but if it feels finished, if I feel satisfied with how it sounds. That’s why I said I’ve been listening to the album back and forth a hundred times now. I know it by heart. It’s only because, and I’m not inflating my ego that I’m listening to my album, it’s more of like, what can I change? What can I do differently? What can I do to make it perfect? I also heard this from [Tyler, the Creator].
HM: Were you at Chromakopia?
Hazylazy: Yes.
HM: I’ll ask you about that after the interview.
Hazylazy: As Tyler said, you really have to edit like a scientist. You make music for yourself. That also means that you’d have to enjoy the things you make. Until I enjoy what I listen to, I would tell myself that it’s complete.
HM: And it must be an extra heft of a reward when you take this project on as a solo artist. That must be something that really makes it worthwhile to be working on this as a solo artist.We were talking about it earlier that getting in your head so much maybe you lose the ability to look outside looking in. When you’re not able to escape from the internal monologue.
Hazylazy:. Honestly, it’s just a bit scary working on it by myself. To me, what I’m about to say doesn’t really mean that making this is about feeling some sort of victory. As a solo artist, I just tell myself sometimes if I fail with this record, there’s no one else to blame but me. It’s also a constant struggle as I have that thought in my head while working on the album. At the end of the day, I’m very happy with what I’ve made.
HM: Is the sole burden, is it more of a pressuring thing? Or do you feel maybe a sort of consolation that ‘’I’m not dragging anyone down with me if I don’t do well’’?
Hazylazy: That’s a good question. It’s both, I would say. There are days that I’d be happy to do this alone because I have full control over my time when it comes to production and creative vision. It’s very singular that I have my vision and I just need to follow through. But at the same time, having no bandmates, it’s not really… You know me. I was in a band. During the time creating this album, na miss ko rin. I missed having bandmates. Maybe in the near future, I would like to make new bands probably because I just miss working with people and having ideas from different brains. Probably in the next few years, I don’t know.
HM: You mentioned “Ultrawanker”, Resentment Segment. That era of yours is a step away from Antagonisms. But many people did start their journey with Hazylazy during the Resentment Segment era. I remember watching you early days of the pandemic. I think one year into the pandemic, I remember watching MechaFest 2021.You were performing some of those songs.
Hazylazy: That’s when I premiered “Another Self-Loathing”
HM: I went back to the recording because it’s on YouTube. With [Elev8 Me L8r]. But yeah.There’s a link there. I would describe these words to form a sort of vocabulary of disillusionment. A modern disillusionment.
Hazylazy: You’re right. Lyrically or thematically, the EP shares the same characteristics with the album. Themes of burnout, themes of self-doubt, trust issues, questioning one’s faith. The same themes, basically. But I would say Antagonisms is a more evolved concept. It’s more introspective, I would say.
After finishing the album it was very fulfilling, at the same time the constant push and pull like, “Will you keep the old version?” or after numerous demos, after months pass I’ll think “Did I over do things?”
-Hazylazy
HM: Absolutely. There’s something to say about it. I don’t know if it’s intentional, but there’s a spectrum between resentment and antagonism where resenting is more of an internal act and antagonizing is sort of external. Is the link between the two thematic titles anything you had in mind while you were building the new album?
Hazylazy: I never thought of it that way, but that’s a good catch. Thinking about it, looking back at the EP, you’re right. You’re probably right. The lyrics there would be a bit more inward. Antagonism is more of outward. It involves being selfish and not really caring about what other people think. Some songs could pass off as internal monologue, yeah, but with Antagonisms, it’s more outward when it comes to how it’s written.
HM: How was the creative journey like between those two points in time? And also, with respect to your musical trajectory, what was the creative journey like?
Hazylazy: There was a time that I told myself that I wouldn’t be making music as Hazylazy anymore after Resentment Segment. I just didn’t want to go for it anymore. I’m done with music. I told [my friends] that “Ayoko na, I don’t want to make another EP.” What made me decide that I still want to make an album. The time frame between the EP and the album, it was a constant push and pull. Do I do this? Do I do that? Self-doubting because you’re alone. When I started telling myself when I decided that I’m going to make this album, I really dug deep into my influences at that time. I asked myself what do I want to make? That’s when I decided that I really want to innovate the previous sound. What can I do to create something very original to what Hazylazy is? I’ve been thankful with the amount of music that I’ve been discovering for that time frame. It was a big influence on the music of Antagonisms. It’s funny because the artists that I’ve listened to during that time frame were not even close to indie rock or rock. I became an addict to Tyler, Frank Ocean, New Jeans. That’s why there were those kind of cuts like “OUTFIELD”, the second half of “SLEAZE PLEASE”. It was very much inspired by some of the artists that I’ve been listening to around that time.
As soon as [an idea] pops in your head, just throw it in there and see if it works up until the next day, up until the next week, the next month. Does it still work? That’s one of the principles that I prioritize. Just do it. There’s no cost to being original.
-Hazylazy
HM: You’d say your influences for the album were more… were not explicitly rock or electronic in that sort of area?
Hazylazy: I would say still, a major chunk of it but I feel like the few artists that had a very strong grip on me made its way through the music that I made. New Jeans, Frank Ocean, Tyler. Not necessarily how they sound, but the very principles that they apply to their music is what I’m following.
HM: And on your discoveries about yourself and the Hazylazy principles, do you feel you’ve come to any new revelations along the way to Antagonisms?
Hazylazy: Yeah. One of the best learnings while making this record is just to really… There’s a quote that Tyler said that resonated with me. It just connects to the one I said earlier. He said “create like a child, edit like a scientist.” I keep that to my heart really closely. Especially creating like a child part. One thing I did most during the creation of this album is creating like a child. Just throw in everything. Whatever the idea is, just throw it in. Quickly. As soon as it pops in your head, just throw it in there and see if it works up until the next day, up until the next week, the next month. Does it still work? That’s one of the principles that I prioritize. Just do it. There’s no cost to being original.
HM: The parallel kind of writes itself with what you’ve talked about Antagonisms to be already. I guess it’s not self-serving, but it’s for the self.More about the antagonizing aspect of antagonisms. I wanted to know how you wanted listeners to align. How you wanted them to align themselves to the album. What did you want them to glean from it?
Hazylazy: I’d be more curious to know how they see it. That’s why I was pleased with your observation earlier with inward and outward for receptance, argument, and antagonism. Honestly, there’s no one correct way to look at it. To me, once I have it out there, it’s for everyone to listen to and how they see it. To me, I just want to put a record that I’m happy with and that sounds good, that’s original, that’s never been heard of anywhere, sound-wise. I guess, to everyone who’s going to be reading the article or whatever, I would like to know what they think to all the listeners out there.
HM: Sound-wise, I want to take a break from talking about the album and go back in time into your journey musically. If that’s okay. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe crowds first heard your work as Serotonin, a six-piece band from Laguna, self-described on your SoundCloud bio to be “a disappointing multi-layered experience.”I don’t know if that’s updated or not.
Hazylazy: It’s outdated. We were kids and trying to come up with funny descriptions. But yeah, that description, because we have three guitars.
HM: I was going to say, 2016 era is when you started posting your stuff to those music-sharing platforms.But when did you start making music? Did you start 2016 as well?
Hazylazy: Well, as an individual, I’ve been playing with instruments ever since I was 10. Starting with the drums and then eventually guitar. I never really sang up until 2016. But the reason why I started to sing is because the original vocalist of Serotonin left, transferred to another school. I was the original drummer. I was writing the songs back then as a drummer. And then when our original vocalist left, that’s when I went for the vocalist position and guitar as a songwriter. That’s when I met the rest of the band. That’s when we released the songs.
HM: What’s so interesting about Serotonin is that I feel it was very much a product of its time. Starting from 2016, I think, I don’t know, when you guys started releasing music, it really perfectly fit into the zeitgeist of Pinoy Indie post-rock bands. Like the band ensemble outfits from the time. Very much employing the traditional rock band toolkit over programmed instrumentation. I wanted to ask then, how did being in a band inform your later sensibilities on collaboration versus solo endeavors? And on music as a whole. I wonder what being in a band as your first musical pursuit, as you said, did to alter, to rewire your brain musically?
Hazylazy: Well, honestly, being in a band is super fun in itself. Back then, I just wanted, starting Hazylazy, I just really wanted an outlet where I can just do whatever I want. All the ideas that I want, that’s what’s followed. I just wanted another avenue where I can just do whatever the fuck I want. So that’s basically it. That’s how I would differentiate it. I like it when there’s a band or bandmates. I really like bouncing off ideas. But I also enjoy equally being able to follow through with what’s in my head. The fulfillment of being able to make it tangible and actualizing it in song form.
HM: Do you feel that you’ve always been able to accomplish that translation into a listenable track that’s out there? Or do you feel you’ve developed that through the years and with recent releases like Resentment Segment, Antagonisms, you’ve been able to get to that point that this is exactly what you imagined in your head for it to be.
Hazylazy: It’s one of the hard parts of writing for me. Knowing that this is what I really envisioned. I’m glad to say it’s a skill that I’ve learned over the years. At first, it wasn’t really like that. But I feel confident when I say that when I have this creative vision, I already know exactly how I want it to sound like. And being able to translate that into a song, it feels good. Honestly. I would say it wasn’t like that at first, but now, over the years of trial and error, a lot of setbacks, not being satisfied with some of the demos, finding the right sweet spot. It takes time to have that coherence with your vision and the actual piece, right? It’s not instant, I can say. Some songs, fun fact, “Juxtapose” was written in one sitting. And that was one of the very, very, very, I would say, like a blessing to me because some songs would just like churn out, the songs that would churn out, sometimes you would just get super lucky that after doing it in one sitting, you’re satisfied. And some songs would do that. I’m not sure if it’s like that in the album, but I’ll have to get back to you on that. But yeah, it’s not always instant, but there are songs that are really like magic.
HM: SoundCloud, by the way, like a really, really in-depth archive of your transformation as an artist. And I don’t know, I feel, but somehow I feel that, you know, going through your different genres, different outfits with Serotonin, with early Hazylazy, like tracks like “Wordless”, “False Romantic”, “Quicksand”.The time when you had, what’s it called? It’s like logo.
Hazylazy: Yeah. Yeah.
HM: But I was just going to say I feel that even in that, there was this sort of like, ephemeral quality that peeked through. Like not even like Hazylazy, like back in Serotonin, that I felt. And I wonder where that comes from.
I have personal favorite tracks from Serotonin. “She Was”, “Backpacker”.
Hazylazy: Yeah. Oh my God.
HM: Yeah. And I just noticed that there are like atmospheric elements, not that atmospheric, but like elements, textures that you wouldn’t normally see in those sort of like traditional band toolkit setups that you still added into like the studio mix. Same with like “Wordless”.There’s still an electronic ephemera that comes through. And I feel like it really breaks out of a shell and becomes the entirety of, like really develops the sound later in later projects, starting in Resentment Segment.And I just wonder if that came from something, or if like there was something that was always there that inspired you to take that sort of slant, that sort of angle with music production?
Hazylazy: Maybe, not exactly an artist that I’m following. It’s not exactly a sound that I’m trying to go for. But I guess one thing I would say that’s constant ever since. I l always try to make, I always try to find something to make it feel different from what’s currently out there. And like, you know, that’s just my approach. There are musicians out that really hit the bullseye on certain genres. Like some rock bands can pull off the rock sound really, really well and stay through to the genre. And I would say I’m just not that type of musician. I can’t perfect the indie rock sound. I can’t perfect the rock sound. Let me just go on and try to make something different now. And it’s always been the clear reason why I’m still doing Hazylazy. It’s because I really want to find that original sound. So for example, I started a solo project because I’ve been inspired by the solo artists back in 2018, 2019, like Mac DeMarco, Tame Impala. I’ve been inspired with how they’re able to sound like a band, even if they’re solo. They sound different, they sound so original. So I’ve always been in that journey. And I know I’m not there yet, but it’s always been one of my biggest goals. I don’t have to sell out shows. I don’t have to earn a lot of streams. I just feel like I really need to find that original sound. It’s always been like that ever since. That’s why there are elements here and there. That’s very deliberate. I would say it’s a conscious choice to put it there just to have a different feel to it. Just so it doesn’t sound like anything else that’s out there. Because the last thing I want is sounding completely similar to an existing band.
HM: Yeah, where you’d be like, “Oh, you’re like the blah, blah, blah of Manila.”
Hazylazy: Sometimes it’s a fun opener or a fun line to a conversation. But again, if it’s a serious conversation, you just know if a track’s a Hazylazy track. Something like that. It’s the goal. I’m not quite sure if I’m there already or if I’m close, but it’s always been one of the biggest goals.
[The album cover is] very much alike with being a child, where you just don’t really care about the external things. You’re just in there. You’re just in the moment. You’re just creating without any second thoughts.
-Hazylazy
HM: Zooming out and looking at actually the key visuals you put out with your visual artist, Nicolas Salva Cruz, “Cola”. I wanted to know how that collaboration came about because honestly, I first saw the covers for Dreamweaver and the singles you put out leading to the album and I was like, wow, such an interesting album cover. Is that like The Sims or something? So yeah, I wanted to know. Even with Antagonism’s cover, zooming into the pieces, there’s a key visual for each song. Is that right?
Hazylazy: Some of the art that we’ve decided to put there kind of ties closely to the songs but it wasn’t really the main vision at the start. So it’s just a tiny coincidence.
Cola is a really cool guy. He’s super great to work with. Honestly, I saw Cola’s work when I saw Kindred’s album art and also when he made the music video for Toots, Jargon State. But I’ve known Cola from around the scene because I know Cola’s girlfriend, Tamia, way back in college. So I knew Cola in passing. So I just didn’t know that he made 3D art. And honestly, when I was thinking about how to do the album cover, I had this Pinterest board of what I wanted to do. And honestly, at first… My main vision for the album art was supposed to be… It should just be a picture. It should just be a picture. But because of time constraints, I didn’t have time to photoshoot. That’s all that happened. I didn’t have the budget to photoshoot. I didn’t have time. I don’t even want to be in the album art. I just wanted a random picture. A very eye-catching one. That would have aligned with the pegs on my mood board. But for some reason, there were suggestions on Pinterest for 3D, cool 3D art. That’s when I thought, Oh, Cola might be perfect for this. It was a cold message. That’s when I met Cola. We’ve met before at gigs. But that’s just one time. One time or two times. Then I cold messaged Cola. Are you down to do the album art? He’s a super nice guy. The collaboration. We became close friends because of this. We were always on call. But it’s been really fun. The main idea at first is to roll out the singles leading up to the album art. We made characters that would eventually appear in the album art. We decided to do a solid background first. So it’s more in-your-face. The main idea with Cola, I just wanted to feel that the album art looks how it sounds like. That was our goal. We have a base idea of 3D art. Now what can we do to elevate it or make it look how it sounds like? We added the glitch. We added some of the blur. We added the 8-bit. Because there are those elements in the sounds. We wanted to play on the childish characteristics that you can see there. Running around with dogs. Playing by the trampoline. Being curious. To me, the main idea with Antagonisms is more than being selfish. That’s very much alike with being a child, where you just don’t really care about the external things. You’re just in there. You’re just in the moment. You’re just creating without any second thoughts.
HM: Do visual and other sensory elements besides aural come to you as you create your music? Do you see a song?
Hazylazy: When it comes to creating the music, I don’t have other sensory pursuits. But I’d say when producers say different textures to the sonics, I guess that would be it. But that’s still in the hearing.
HM: You definitely have a knack for building lush soundscapes with your music. How would you approach molding the acoustic environment of a track? Because although it’s not intentionally a multi-sensory experience, it definitely is like, wow. It feels like 8D.How do you decide to fill a sound?
Hazylazy: What comes to mind while creating that sound, while creating that song, while producing the song, I just put it in there. It doesn’t have a deep, it doesn’t have a deep meaning. Some ideas that I put there in the album, as in, what’s the right word? As in, like, suddenly, I would say. For example, in “LOUDMOUTH”, the sample there, the beginning sample. I was watching an Alex G live video from YouTube. So that quick talking sample, that was from that video. But that’s because I wanted to sample Alex G. But I ended up sampling the people speaking. And for some reason, the last word he said fit in the sample, “get back”. So I used it for the song. So most of the approach here is like, it just happened out of the blue. And I think it takes a lot of skill to catch that, and to latch on to that, and to say that it’s a good idea. It’s not just random. But I feel like, I can tell myself that I’m lucky, that the idea found its way to me. But I also take myself, being able to catch that, and use those ideas. In fact, a lot of the songs here have samples. And some of these are, as in, it just suddenly came to me.Sometimes while I’m sleeping, or when I’m about to sleep, I would get up from bed, because I was thinking, I just have to write it down. Yeah, there are a lot of those. Believe it or not, the siren things you hear in Loudmouth, that’s from a Pussycat Dolls song. So there are a lot of samples there that really found its way to the tracks, that I really enjoyed creating. But one more, one more I’d like to share. “SLEAZE PLEASE” the lead part. That is from a Beach Boys song.
HM: Oh my God!
Hazylazy: Yeah, so there are a lot. It’s been really fun. I think one of the major instruments that changed the trajectory of the production style of Hazylazy in general, is because of a sampler. In the Resentment Segment, there were no abstract arrangements, none of that quality, but that’s because I didn’t have my sampler then. Now, I’ve purchased one and I’m thankful. Such an ROI, yeah, I would say.
HM: There’s something so boundless about music creation in a post-digital, post-internet era. So I want to ask, how do you plan to translate this sound and concept into a live performance?Is the goal more like a faithful reproduction, or is it embracing reinterpretation through the analog?
Hazylazy: Honestly, at first, while creating the album, I was thinking, how am I going to do this live? Especially with the electronic cuts. I’m so thankful with my live bandmates because we were able to work on the songs and translate it well live, I would say. We’ve tried it out last weekend. And I feel like that’s the magic of Hazylazy shows. You get a different Hazylazy live, and it’s a more powerful experience, I would say, since it’s louder, it’s more compact. Every bandmate just has something to offer skill-wise. I embrace interpretation—but not too far. There are some elements I’d like to keep alive, like some samples that I’d love to keep alive. I guess they’ll see that in the album launch.
HM: I wonder, you’ve been performing since pre-pandemic. I hate saying the word pandemic. It’s a turning point event, and I feel it’s very important to our recent music history.Recent happenings in music. You’ve performed in pre-pandemic venues, like Route 196. I wonder how you would compare gig culture pre-2020s to today, which is a heavily hyper-internet, hyper-digital setting, where everyone has an electronic setup in their sets.People can play samples from their songs, like click tracks and everything. Any particular transformations you’ve observed in the space, and maybe in yourself as a gig-goer, and now with Elev8 Me L8r, an organizer, and sort of creator of the gig, propagator of the gig.
Hazylazy: I admire the evolution from 2019-2018 era to how the music scene is now. Technologically, yes, you’re right. We’ve really evolved. Honestly, way back then, when I used to play Saguijo or Route 196, that’s one of the things I’ve been looking for. How do I make this possible? Way back then, before the pandemic, there were Hazylazy sets. I was always thinking about how do I do the backing track? It wasn’t that accessible. It’s just really hard to communicate in venues. Not really hard, I would say. It’s just not usual. It’s just unusual to communicate. At least, from my experience. I’m pretty sure the other pros out there were already doing that. But me, I don’t have experience with it. I just couldn’t take the first step. But now, well, at least most, where I’m always playing, I’m just thankful that their team, Jude, are very accommodating with these kinds of setups. It really allowed me to feel that what I envisioned my live sets to be is possible—not to say that it wasn’t possible before—I guess venues are more open to it now. I just really admire the evolution. Hyper-digital, as you said. I would say it’s really changed. While back then, social media was already a thing. That’s where you promote your stuff. It needs to be more rapid nowadays. And I’m afraid I’m getting too old to keep up with how rapid everything’s going. With TikTok and everything.
HM: But to give credit where credit is due, I do feel you and the rest of Elev8 were a present and very active community presence during the shift from online to offline. I remember one of the earliest gigs, I feel, coming back IRL gigs. It was Shoplifters United at Motorista back in 2022. You were sessioning for (formerly Maryknoll) back then.
Hazylazy: Yeah, the gigs started after that. I feel like we just really wanted to harp on that momentum coming from the online shows that we’ve been doing as Elev8. Like how we try to innovate online live shows. Back then, we tried to apply that same principle in our live shows. Try to do something different. But yeah, you’re right. We were active. But as Hazy Lazy alone, it’s pretty hard. It’s hard to keep up. Baka naging tito lang ako.
HM: But yeah, I mean, definitely, I feel what’s made, what’s colored this era of gigs is how very post-internet it is. Especially with entities like Elev8 that existed from, was born from the internet. That’s their nesting ground.Yeah. Do you feel that it’s a change for the better? Are you excited looking forward to further evolutions of music and gig culture?Are you going to be there for the ride?
Hazylazy: Yeah, for sure. I’d be happy to see it. We can’t really predict that I’d be present-present. But I’m pretty sure I’d be watching from afar if ever, if ever it happens. I take a break from music. For the future.
HM: Don’t.
Hazylazy: [laughs]But like, I’d be happy to see the local scene evolve. I’m sure we have the, we have a very good foundation right now. Like, we have the right formula to bring us forward, I would say. And they’re also young. Yeah. The young people, they’re so good and very smart with their promotions, I would say.
HM: Okay. What’s next in store for, maybe not even just Hazylazy. Are we gonna see a comeback of Report Error, Serotonin?
Hazylazy: Ooh, that’s a deep cut. Honestly, okay, I miss the band. I miss the boys. I hope we can link up. Link up? Yeah. But, we’re still getting along. Our relationship is still good. We still treat each other as like…
HM: Yeah, I think the last gig wasn’t too long ago.
Hazylazy: Yeah. But we never got to be complete due to personal stuff then. Every band member is doing their own thing. Super proud of them. But yeah, Report Error, probably. Let’s see. I still have the energy. But right now, all I’m thinking about when it comes to what’s next, after the album launch, maybe just take that quick vacation or reward myself with like, you know, video games and travel, probably. But like, Yay! But like, personal life first. If I ever felt like there’s a strong urge within me to write another record, then why not, right? But we’re not sure. We don’t know that yet. We don’t know when. We don’t know how it will sound like. But pretty sure if there’s another Hazylazy record, it’s not gonna be a duplicate of Antagonisms. It’s always gonna be different. Every time. Something different. At least, not exactly the same, but I will always try to make something different.
Nostalgia has countlessly been labelled as the key ingredient to dream-pop, but how does the power of friendship and utter passion from the DIY heartthrobs of Matoki give meaning to the music?
Written By Faye Allego
When they were just teenagers, Vladymir Estudillo, Yancy Yauder, and Emmanuel Acosta formed MATOKI originally as a three-piece band. As the roaring 2020s rose to uncertainty, they found identity through the alternative scene and beyond the confines of their bedrooms – their stylistic sound of choice? Shoegaze that is desired to pour out dreampop melodies that send the listener into a Sputnik-like orbit of nostalgia. The trio then decided that three could turn into six, and thus entered Ivan Casillano on drums, Kiyan Leal on tambourine/vocals, and Kendrick Tuazon on rhythmic guitar.
Recently, a Facebook post from the page “Local Music Watch New England” circulated across my newsfeed. It says something along the lines of: “They’re not ‘just’ a local band. They’re the soundtrack to your town. Support them like they’re already famous.”
Throughout the trajectory of their journey, MATOKI has amassed over 8,000 monthly listeners and more than 300,000 streams of their singles, “Strawberry Girl” and “The Streets,” both of which belong to their debut album, And Mend All Your Broken Bones.
Achieving these big numbers independently with no attachment to any big company or label and strictly relying on their authenticity and community within the underground music scene, the band captures the true essence of DIY through touring in and outside Metro Manila. Their live performance not only differ in stylistic choices of whatever they desire that day but they also differ in the range of venues they play whether its at your local venue in QC, Makati, performing at Marikina Heights during dinnertime, capturing the hearts of students at RTU, PUP, UP Diliman, UP Baguio or even supporting causes from ARPAK KMP, SAKA, and many more college gigs. Through their dreamy echo chambers of polyrhythmic guitars seen in tracks like “Sarado Na Ang Makiling Trail (At Wala Na Kaming Mapuntahan)”, coming-of-age anthems like “Lemon” and heightened senses of wonder in “Paotsin”, MATOKI stays loyal to their DIY manifesto.
**This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
FA: What’s it like touring outside Metro Manila (especially the Under My Skin tour), and what makes it different from performing in venues like Mow’s?
Vlad: Sobrang kakaiba yung excitement everytime na tutugtog kami na malayo sa usual at unfamiliar sa amin. Yung thought talaga na “nasa lugar ako na ‘to dahil sa music namin”, sobrang powerful nya para sa akin. As a DIY band din gustong gusto ko palagi yung challenge, kung paano pagkakasyahin yung resources, yung pera at energy. Sa recent tour, sobrang humarap kame sa challenges financially kaya right there and then pinagusapan namin kung ano ang mangyayari. Ayun, na resolve naman. Palagi kami nagkakaroon ng lessons kung ano ang mga bagay na effective at hindi kapag touring outside Manila.
Yancy: Personally, magkakaiba kami pagdating dito eh, ako kailangan ko tipidin yung energy ko, mula sa byahe palang kailangan ko na tipirin yung energy ko, hanggang bago tumugtog. May excitement oo, pero alam kong kailangan ko limitahan yung energy. Laging may bubulong na “Oop, wag muna magkulit!” unlike sa Mow’s, mas sanay kami sa environment. Usually mga kakilala rin nakikita namin dun. Nakikita ko kase sila Vlad kaya nila mag kulit kahit wala pa kami dun sa pupuntahan eh. Tapos naiingit ako kasi di ko kaya yun.
Ken: As a DIY Band that has to, well, do everything by ourselves, we could definitely say that it’s financially, mentally, and physically draining. We just always make the most out of our very minimal resources and just doing everything with raw, pure, and unending passion. What makes it different from performing in venues that are close to home is that it’s always an experience. It’s always a mixture of excitement, anxiety, and serenity. But it’s a good thing that anywhere we go, the support from our friends and supporters are also there.
Kiyan: Syempre excited ako parang looking forward ako sa ibang culture at eksena tyaka sa mga bagong taong makikilala. Isa pa yung pinaka favourite ko yung kulitan sa biyahe, papunta palang andami mo ng ma experience agad.
FA: Yancy, may mga panahon bang naisip mo na sana lumaki ka sa ibang lugar o panahon yung mas buhay pa ‘yung mga music subculture?
Yancy: Madalas namin yan mapagkwentuhan dati ni Vlad eh, bago pa ata mabuo ang banda. Hindi ko lang sure sa kanya, pero ako ‘di ko talaga naiisip yung sana lumaki ako sa ibang lugar o panahon, kahit pa mostly ng pinapakinggan ko at influence na din talaga dati e galing isa ibang lugar at ibang panahon nga, I can say na iaadmire ko sila pati na din yung buhay na eksena nila noon pero never ko naisip na sana lumaki ako dun sa lugar nila or sa panahon nila.
FA: Naapektuhan ka rin ba ng mga alaala sa paraan ng pagtugtog mo ng bass?
Yancy: Yes, kapag nagrerecord ako ng bass sa mga tracks namin, sinisikap ko lagi ipicture yung sarili ko na andun sa setting nung kanta, or ifeel yung ineexpress nung kanta, nakakatulong yon para ma-tap ko yung ilang alaala na kung hindi man kahawig e eksaktong katulad nung gustong iexpress nung mga kanta namin, tapos ayon mula don kung ano lang din yung maramdaman ko sa mga alaala na yun isasalin ko lang din sya sa bass
FA: When composing a song, which members think of a melody first? Do you all have to be present IRL in the writing process?
Vlad: Most of the time talaga sakin nanggagaling yung main idea ng songs, katulong ko si Kiyan madalas, then we build from there. May time na si Emman nagsusulat din ng kanta tulad nung “For Choco“, pero ngayon ayaw niya na eh. Joke lang haha. Pero usually talaga pag may naisip akong idea, kukunin ko yung gitara, tapos sabay ko bubuuin yung melody at chords. May times rin naman na magkakasama kami, tapos may mabubuo rin. Tulad nung unreleased namin na “Patiently“. Depende talaga sya sa motivation at araw kung makakabuo ng song.
FA: Emman, Paano mo nade-develop ‘yung sariling style mo sa pagtugtog?
Emman: Siguro malaking bahagi yung mga influences pagdating sa style ko. For the past few years na-solidify sa akin bilang main inspiration yung post-rock guitars na tingin ko ay bagay sa sound ng Matoki. Pero kung sa totoo lang masasabi kong main influence rin talaga sa style ko yung mga kabanda ko lalo noong nag-uumpisa pa lang kami, noong hinahanap pa namin yung magiging sonic identity namin. Malaking bahagi ng style ko ay nabuo mula sa mga music recommendations nila.
FA: Whenever you perform live, paano niyo nakakapa kung saan kayo mag lalagay ng improvised riffs that differ from yung original recording?
Emman: Pagdating naman sa live performances, sa totoo lang, malayo talaga kung icocompare yung live at recorded versions ng mga kanta namin lalo na yung mga older songs. Masasabi kong magkaibang realm yung live at recorded sound namin (compare Fine Lines vs. Fine Lines (Redone)), siguro dahil totally different environment at methods yung nag-eexist pag nagrerecord kami at pag nag-jajam live (dahil nga DIY recording lang maraming limitations lalo sa drums). At siguro dahil di rin namin strictly sinusundan yung recorded version kapag nagjajam sa studio. Malaya lang kami gawin kung ano trip namin idagdag pag live.
FA: Paano niyo isinasalin o ipapahayag ang komplikadong anyo ng pag ibig sa mga layered at textured na tunog ng musika ninyo? tulad ng riff mo sa “Fine Lines”
Emman: Sa tingin ko, nagmamatch yung songwriting ni Vlad sa mga soundscapes na nagagagawa namin. In the first place, pansin ko sa ethos ng Matoki, ay ayaw niya maging complicated, simple lang, barefaced at raw. Kahit pa di naman necesarily simple per se yung mga themes ng mga kanta. Kaya nagtatranslate din yung ethos na yun syempre sa tunog ng banda, simpleng riffs na melodic; parang galing sa isang “honest young heart”. Minsan droning reverbs, atmospheric na patong-patong na guitars, malaki yung sound pero di naman siya complicated, tunog “wandering young mind”.
Tingin ko [‘yong Scrapyard ay isa] sa magiging iconic na lugar pagdating ng araw. Napaka-modest at rugged, napaka-Filipino, kaya sobrang disctinct din talaga ng mga lumalabas na mga art doon. Meron talagang characteristic ng pure passion for music and community.
-Emman Acosta
FA: Paano naging tahanan para sa Matoki ang bahay ni Vlad sa Pasig? Assuming na marami kayong nabuong mga kanta, album, ep, etc. Doon, ano mga core memories niyo while mastering mga productions niyo kina Vlad?
Yancy: Mas effective na makapag work, sabihin na natin sa isang track, para sakin, kailangan maramdaman ko muna yung cozy na pakiramdam, o makomportable doon sa space namin kela Vlad. In a sense na pwede ka abutin ng umaga. Tapos di ka pa mag aalala sa pagkain, kase mejo sentro yung location ng bahay nila eh, malapit sa mga sari-sari store sa mga talipapa ganyan. Core memory ko palagi yung mga times na mag bbreak time kami sa pag gawa, tapos kakain kami sa almusalan na malapit o kaya bibili pandesal sa umaga, tapos everytime na ganun habang kumakain pinaguusapan parin yung kanta.
Vlad: Core memory ko talaga yung nag record kami ng “Lemon” tapos pinagkasya lang namin yung buong drumset sa kwarto ko na halos isang dipa lang yung lapad. Sobrang init nun tas shirtless kami lahat. Isang core memory din yung nilabas ko yung setup ko sa dirty kitchen namin sa likod ng bahay, kasi bumabaha sa kwarto kapag umuulan. DIY!
Kiyan: Kung may core memory ako syempre yung pinaka una pa, noong mga first time ko sumama sa kanila. Naging comforting siya sakin lalo noong mga times na hindi ako okay sa bahay tapos dito ako nagste-stay kila Vlad. Tapos gumagawa lang kami ng mga demo. Dun na rin ako natutulog. Naging core memory yun kasi dun na ako nakakapag cope.
Emman: Kakaibang space talaga yung bahay nila Vlad. ‘Di lang exclusive sa Matoki yung lugar na yon, naging iconic center rin siya ng iba’t ibang DIY artists at collectives at naging venue ng mga full band shows, film screenings pati mga educational discussions. Bilang member ng Matoki nakita ko yung evolution ng bahay nila Vlad bilang creative at community space. Dati tawag pa namin don ay Volzak studios noong kami-kami pa lang hanggang sa naging Scrapyard at Dinosaurs in my Studio nang mabuksan na siya sa mas maraming tao. Tingin ko isa yon sa magiging iconic na lugar pagdating ng araw. Napaka-modest at rugged, napaka-Filipino, kaya sobrang disctinct din talaga ng mga lumalabas na mga art doon. Meron talagang characteristic ng pure passion for music and community.
Isa ring bagay yung kapag trip na trip mo yung genre ng banda mo natural siya na lumalabas e, lumalabas lang kusa yung mga ideas minsan habang tumutugtog o kaya sa studio o kaya minsan sa pag buo ng kanta.
-Ivan Casillano
FA: Ivan, bilang drummer ng Walktrip bago ka naging bahagi ng Matoki, paano mo hinubog ang sarili mong role bilang drummer ng bagong banda?
Ivan: Bago pa ako maging member ng matoki soundtrip ko na rin talaga sila, naalala ko unang house show kela Vlad tumatak sakin yung kantang “Strawberry Girl” na-LSS ako lalo na yung bass part ni Yancy ang ganda lang kase pakinggan tumatak yon sakin. Simula nun soundtrip ko na siya hanggang sa na iimagine ko na siya kunware ako pumapalo. Masasabi kong masaya at di naman ako ganon nahirapan mag adjust kase trip ko din talaga yung pinaggagawa namin sa Matoki, tsaka kusang lumalabas yung pagiging creative makabuo ng part ko bilang drummer sa mga song writing lalo na pag iisa kayo ng naiisip at nag kakasundo kami. Isa ring bagay yung kapag trip na trip mo yung genre ng banda mo natural siya na lumalabas e, lumalabas lang kusa yung mga ideas minsan habang tumutugtog o kaya sa studio o kaya minsan sa pag buo ng kanta.
FA: Anong mga pagbabago o adjustment ang kinailangan mong gawin sa style o mindset mo sa pagtugtog?
Ivan: Siguro ano, iniisip ko lang na wag makuntento ganon, kailangan practice lang nang practice para di rin mawala yung gigil mo kada gig tsaka maging healthy din tinatry ko talaga umiwas mag bisyo kase nakakapagod maging drummer sa totoo lang nakakahingal [laughs]
FA: Para sa inyo, ano’ng pinaka-masaya o pinaka-fulfilling sa pagiging DIY at sa pagkakaroon ng buong kontrol sa galaw ng banda?
Vlad: Sobrang fullfilling maging DIY band dahil sobrang genuine ng lahat ng lumalabas sa amin. Kahit sa sound mismo ng music, yung technicals, yung mixing and mastering, sobrang rough around the edges kasi kami lang gumagawa nun. It could be better, of course, pero that quality is just us being honest about what we have. Still, nag-strive parin naman mapaganda pa yung music quality-wise. Fullfilling din kapag may natatanggap kami na support, kasi I just know na genuine din yun. And we also feel more connected as a community, rather than having a definite line between artist and listener, mas bineblend yun ng DIY underground scene kasi honestly, we’re just like them, no different. Mahilig din kami sa music, at most of the time, we stand by the same issues and advocacies. Speaking of, sa pagiging DIY din, we can say what we want nang walang nag hoholdback, so we can voice out our opinions about things that matter in our society freely.
Photo from Ian Arevalo/505
Yancy: Isa sa pinaka masaya at fulfilling para saken ay yung mismong ideya ng DIY na kayo bahala sa lahat, kung paano kalalabasan dapat ng isang track at kung ano yung gustong sabihin sa kanta na yun, walang naghhold back at syempre walang external factors na galing sa ibang tao bukod sa amin. Feel ko mas nagiging malaya at genuine kami sa ganung paraan, isa na din yung pagkakaroon ng buong kontrol nga sa galaw ng banda, sa ganong paraang mas nagiging malapit kami sa mga tagapakinig kasi kami mismo most of the time gumagawa ng paraan para mailabas sya sa streaming platforms, matugtog yung mga kanta namin sa mga gig, hanggang sa pagse-sell ng mga merch at ng mismong kanta, fulfilling sya lalo nakakatanggap kami ng suporta mula sa mga kaibigan namin sa eksena sa DIY underground. Naaalala ko dati kami kami talaga nila Emman nagbuburn ng mga CDs sa kanila, tapos kasama namin sila Yones sa pagaayos nung mga lalamanin ng CDs (tracklist, artprints, stickers) may mga times din nun na pag around Pasig lang ang order ng mga merch sila Vlad at Kiyan mismo tumatagpo sa mga nagoorder.
Kiyan: Isa sa pinaka naging core memory ko ay nung mismong ang pag produce ng mga merch namin ay isa sa naging bonding namen ng team, mula sa pag hahanap ng raw materials hawak namin CD case, CD, brand ng shirt at sa mismong pag quality control kami narin.
Ken: Fulfilling sa pakiramdam na meron kaming control sa galaw ng banda. I mean, yun rin naman yung essence ng pagiging creative. Siguro yung masayang pakiramdam na nakukuha namin dito is, yung feeling na nakikita namin nag wowork paunti-unti yung mga bagay na gusto namin na ini-envision lang na mangyare, Although madalas di yun yung ineexpect na result. Pero, at the end, we are making something happen with the help ng bawat isa. As the latest member lang ng Matoki, siguro mag didiffer ang core memory nila saken pero para saken yung Under My Skin tour. Ramdam talaga lahat ng emotion. Inside Out core memory talaga.
Nadevelop namin magkaintindihan sa mga bagay bagay, nagkakaron ng shared love sa ilang specific na approach at arrangement sa paggawa ng music.
-Yancy Yauder
FA: You started out as just three members in a band, and now you’re a six-piece, all growing together as young adults with different personalities but all sharing a love for music. How has that shift in time affected how you move as a group?
Yancy: Nung tatlo pa lang kami, early post-pandemic hanggang early 2023 sabihin na natin na we spent time together talaga as a band most of the time, posible sya noon kasi online classes pa yung school sa amin tatlo e kagagaling lang pandemic, nagagawa naming magsama sama pa din kahit may pasok yung isa sa amin tapos asa 1st year pa lang kami nun 2nd year ganyan, nung mga time na yun din mas nagiging posible yung bonding na paggawa ng music, pagpunta kung saan saan, pagkain at pagtulog ng magkakasama sa isang kwarto.
Tapos ayun, dahil nga madalas magkakasama, nagkakaron kami ng shared thoughts or minsan kanya kanyang reflection sa mga nangyayari sa amin bilang magkakabanda, malaking tulong din yun sa creative process namin kase nadevelop namin magkaintindihan sa mga bagay bagay, nagkakaron ng shared love sa ilang specific na approach at arrangement sa paggawa ng music, isang halimbawa na lang ay yung sa creative process ng “Ayoko Ono”, lahat kami nung time na yon, gusto lang gumawa ng shoegaze track na mabigat pakinggan at taglish yung lyrics pero at the same time ay less is more yung pagkakasulat, tapos ayon na, may track na agad. Pero syempre as time goes by, bukas naman kami dun na unti unti pabalik na ulit yung “new normal” na routine ng buhay natin around early 2023 din, nagkaron na ng mga onsite na klase, nagkaron na din ng oras para sa hustle para kumita ng pera at masuportahan yung sarili at yung craft na ginagawa namin, as in dami na nagbago din lalo sa creative process dahil nagkaron na din ng limitasyon yung band time, may mga times na online na lang kami nagkakaron palitan tatlo nila Vlad at Emman, unti unti din nun nadagdagan na kami sa banda, andyan na Ivan at Kiyan, nagkaron ng mas malaking pagbabago sa banda at kung paano sya nakakapag work pa din as a group, siguro sa kasalukuyan ang pinaka naging itsura nya ay ganito, madalas mas si Vlad na lang ang nagsusulat at naglalapat ng guitars tapos minsan din share sila ni Kiyan sa isang track, medyo naging limitado na yung makapag input ako or si Emman sa songwriting process, bihira na din mabuo pag may recording, recently si Ken pinaka bagong member namin sya na katulong din ni Vlad sa pag iinput ng ilang guitar parts sa ilang tracks na ginagawa namin ngayon as a band.
FA: Do you ever fear yung mismong oras na lumilipas?
Yancy: Oo siguro, may fear sakin sa bawat araw eh– na pano kung lumipas lang ulit tong araw na to na wala ako masyadong nagawa para sa mga bagay na gusto kong ginagawa at gusto kong maging hahahah, may fear oo, kasi lagi pa nga din akong may baon na pang soothe sa sarili na “ayos lang yun kailangan lang din natin huminga sa oras na to para sa mga susunod na araw mas kayang higitan yung dati”
FA: Kiyan, ang creativity, skill siya na kailangan talagang alagaan kasi once mawala siya, mahirap na siyang balikan. Sabi mo nga, ang dami mong nakikilala at nakakasama tuwing may tour. Paano ka nananatiling inspired sa creative side mo, lalo na’t ang dami mong roles in and outside of the band?
Kiyan: Sa totoo lang, may mga oras paden ng burn out, hirap ako sa pag handle ng creative side ko at madalas na uuwi ako sa pag self isolate, pero everytime naman makikita ko yung needs at struggles ng banda at mga kabanda, onti-onti kong nahihila yung sarili ko pabalik, sa simpleng pag tulong lang kase kagaya ng pag ayos ko sa gitara ng mga kabanda nakakaramdam na ulet ako ng spark kase alam kong nakakapag express ako ng art ko sa ganong paraan.
FA: Pati din mga fashion style ninyo, parang pwede na ata kayo mag karon ng cover sa Oz Magazine nung 70s era eh… do you pay attention to certain fashion identities dito sa eksena?
Kiyan: Wow, sa totoo lang, diko alam eh. Madalas naman kung ano lang yung masuot namin, saaken non dati basta black tapos nag evolve sa “ay gusto ko to kasi cute” sa simpleng uniqueness ng isang damit na appreciate naman na namen, floral patterns, zipper sa kung saan mang parte, skulls, cute na skulls, kulay purple.
When i first started trying music i always had this inner thought na better gear equals better music, although i know deep inside na hindi naman, i always strive to get better gear imbes na mag start ako gumawa ng mga kanta. When i saw the process of Matoki face to face naging malaking sampal saken na they were able to create something from nothing na parang big bang.
-Kendrick Tuazon
FA: Kung may masasabi kayo sa mga sarili niyo noon, ngayon, at sa hinaharap tungkol sa takbo ng career niyo, what would you say to them?
Vlad: Masasabi ko sa sarili ko dati, “Wag mo masyado ipressure yung sarili mo sa mga bagay bagay. Take it easy, okay naman dito. Saka mag practice ka mag mix araw araw.” Sa ngayon, di ko alam eh. Sa future self ko naman, “Wag mo kakalimutan kung bakit ka gumagawa ng music.”
Yancy: Sasabihin ko sa noon na ako, “Tama yan, pinili mo yung mas gusto mo kesa sa tingin mo na mas dapat gawin ng mga kaedaran mo dati.” Sa ngayon naman, “galingan mo lang palagi, YG!”. Sa future na ako, “Kahit ano mangyare, proud sayo yung batang ikaw.”
Ken: Sa sarili namin noon, masasabe ko lang na marami kayong regrets ngayon pero alam kong sinubukan yan i-handle ng mabuti ng kayo ngayon. Sa sarili namin ngayon, kailangan natin kayanin para sa hinaharap natin. At siguro “kamusta?” nalang sa hinaharap namin.
Kiyan: Yung sasabihin ko sa noon na ako, alam ko sobrang nakakaligaw diyan, wag mong kwestyunin din yung pinili mong landas kase lagi mo namang trinatry na umokay yung kalagayan mo. Sa ngayon naman na ako enjoyin mo pa yung proseso at wag kang mag sawang tumuklas ng bago kase lagi kapaden nag tatry. Sa future na ako sana hindi kapa pagod mag explore at gumugusto ka paden subukin ang limits mo.
FA: Ken, Sabi ni Vlad dati na ikaw yung missingpiece ng Matoki, bilang pinaka-bagong miyembro, ano ang mga inspirasyon (or emosyon) ang tumama sayo habang pinapanood mong gumagawa or tumutugtog mga kaband member mo/ paano mo naramdaman na parte ka na talaga ng grupo? Narereflect ba yun sa mismong rhythmic style whenever you’re performing with them live?
Ken: Sobrang laki na inspiration ng Matoki sa paggawa ko ng kanta, na kahit miyembro na ko neto masasabi ko na big fan ako ng Matoki. when i first started trying music i always had this inner thought na better gear equals better music, although i know deep inside na hindi naman, i always strive to get better gear imbes na mag start ako gumawa ng mga kanta. When i saw the process of Matoki face to face naging malaking sampal saken na they were able to create something from nothing na parang big bang. Dun sa sinabi ni vlad na missing piece ako sa banda, I think the same applies to them for me, sila yung push na hinahanap ng utak at katawan ko sa paglikha. binago ko yung playing style ko to blend in (which i enjoy). Pero naramdaman ko lang na naging part ako ng banda nung pinaramdam nila saken na nahihirapan sila na maging kabanda ako. but thats for another story 🙂
FA: Do you find any pressure or freedom in being seen as a “Heartthrob” or figure in the scene? Does it affect your musicianship, if at all?
Ken: HUWAAAAT MAY GANUNN…buong Matoki heartthrob, boi… Ang nakakaapekto lang sa musicianship ko ay ang hindi pag practice 💔🥀
FA: Vlad, paano mo pinagkaiba kung alin ang dapat gawing kanta at alin ang mas bagay manatiling personal na tula?
Vlad: May something sa mga sinusulat ko na bigla nalang mag cclick e, may bulong sakin minsan na gawing kanta ang mga random na sinusulat ko, ganyan nagsimula ang ilang kanta namin, example nun yung Ohana. Yung kantang yun, tula siya, nasulat ko siya sa notes app ko, tapos naalala ko lang siya nung patulog na kami sa bahay ni Emman after mag record ng isang kanta. Nirecord ko yun habang tulog sila. Ganun na rin yung sa ending part ng “…Makiling Trail”. I’ll say na walang pinagkakaiba ang mga tulang sinusulat ko sa mga kanta, parehas sila ng pinanggagalingan at most of the time, pareho ding di nagrrhyme. Pero kung meron man, siguro if it’s simpler or more brief to fit into a melody, or recite into rhythm, I guess it’s a song. Minsan di rin sa tula nagsisimula e, sa mga simpleng kataga lang, katulad nung sa kanta naming “Malimit”, ang coda na “Nandito lang ako, sorry kung malimit maglaho” that just started out as that phrase and we developed it into a song. For me, poems and songs take the same route, but of course writing a song needs to have that musical charm to it.
FA: Sino ang songwriting Jesus mo?
Vlad: Marami akong tinuturing na messiah ng songwriting spirit ko, honestly it varies from time to time, like asking me my favorite bands, I’ll say it’s complicated. But if I could answer specifically right now I’ll probably say Sam Ray of Starry Cat and specifically on the Julia Brown project. I liked how they say simple things and turn them into songs. I always say it’s the simplest things that hit the hardest, the most mundane things most interesting. Runners up that come to mind are the various, mostly local pinoy artists who were the reasons I cherish my soundcloud account, one of them being my favorite Heavenly Nobody.
Tingin ko ang pagmamahal ay tungkol sa connections that we make with different people kahit na fundamentally we are all different beings. When we find something that we bond with together. It’s like they’re filling empty puzzle pieces you didn’t know you had until you feel it.
-Vladymir John
FA: What can you say about your songwriting or instrumental muses? Do they bring the music to you, or do you express your love to them through music?
Yancy: Kapag inilalaban mo parin na maglabas ng something or magexpress gamit music, diba parang nag pe-payback ka narin sa mga taong naniniwala sa ginagawa niyo at syempre sa sarili mo na din na dapat unang maniwala na posible yung mga bagay?
Kiyan: contradiction sya para sa akin. Minsan kahit sa pag express ko ng thoughts ko, ang naiisip ko agad eh kung maiintindihan ba to ng makakabasa? tapos nag lilinger lang yung thought na yon saakin, kahit mag express ako ng para sasarile ko, feel ko may manifestation nadon ang pag isip ko sa ibang tao.
Ken: Siguro both. Sometimes, sila nag bibigay ng inspiration for us to create something out of what we think of them, and vice versa. We sometimes express our love for them through music. Though, di naman siya nag rerevolve sa significant other lang. It could be our friends, the music scene, yung crush mo nung highschool, sa aso mo, sa mapang aping estado, kahit hanggang sa paborito mong inumin. The good thing about songwriting muses is never yan mawawala.
FA: With that being said, ang pagmamahal ba ay mas tungkol sa koneksyon sa ibang tao o sa pagiging mag-isa/solitude?
Vlad: Primarily, kapag nagsusulat ako, it’s also my way of letting my thoughts flow out of my head. Lalo na kapag overwhelming. Swerte lang rin ako na naeentertain ng bandmates ko yung thoughts ko kahit ang corny minsan. Tingin ko ang pagmamahal ay tungkol sa connections that we make with different people kahit na fundamentally we are all different beings. When we find something that we bond with together. It’s like they’re filling empty puzzle pieces you didn’t know you had until you feel it.
FA: Kaya bang ipahayag nang buo ang pagmamahal sa pamamagitan ng musika, o palaging may kulang pa rin sa mga salita at tunog?
Yancy: Hindi fully talaga masasabi na maeexpress mo sa salita at tunog yung pagmamahal, palaging may kulang sa mga salita at tunog oo, pero isa sya sa mga paraan para masabi mo in the most simplest way yung “mahal kita”, pero ayun hindi pa din sya dun natatapos lang, hindi sya buo ibig sabihin, palaging kasama pa din yung mararamdaman at masasabi ng nakikinig.
Vlad: Feeling ko sa pag gawa namin ng music, attempt lang yun sa pag express at pag decode ng mga bagay na mahirap ilagay into words. Or, attempt siya to say something in a limited canvas, or the runtime of a song. It will never be enough to express the love I feel for the people I write about, but it’s worth every word I give. Also, it’s like saying, “I love you so much that this came out of it.” Naniniwala rin akong hindi lang sa lyrics ma coconvey ang ibig mo sabihin sa isang kanta. It’s the reason kaya major ang influence sa amin ng Post-Rock at Shoegaze. Most of the time, nag sstick kami sa [mantra na] less is more. It also feels very intimate. Lagi ko sinasabi sa kanila na fan ako ng pagtranslate ng “mahal kita” in the simplest ways. That’s how we always try to write music.
Ken: Oo! palagi. Words aren’t enough, that’s why we made it into a song. If it still isnt enough, isasabuhay namin yang kanta nayan.
