Filipino alt-rock outfit Sponge Cola has officially dropped their ninth studio album, Hometown, Part 2 via Sony Music Entertainment.
As lead
guitarist Armo Armovit describes it, Hometown, Part 2 is all about
finding connection in uncertain times. “We explored new ways of expressing
familiar feelings with renewed perspectives incorporating different production
elements, arrangement choices, and improved approaches to performance.”
The title
also speaks for itself, serving as a continuation of one’s story, much like
coming home to rest after a long journey and staying an extra weekend to reset.
The record’s songwriting, on the other hand, was inspired by the members’
collective and individual fascination with K-drama and documentaries, as well
as first-hand experiences with real-life events.
Drawing a
lot of inspiration from pop and electronic elements, the 19-track album is
produced by constant collaborator Joey Santos of Love One Another Studios, who
has worked with some of the biggest and most underrated Philippine acts,
including Ang Bandang Shirley, syd hartha, Coeli, and more.
Armo
explains, “Joey Santos did a great job crafting the treatment for songs and dressing
them in colors and styles that best express the message. The process was very
organic and natural.”
Hometown,
Part 2 is accompanied by the release of its focus
track, “So Close,” which features pop singer Morissette. The song was
specifically penned by Yael Yuzon, and tackles the story of two people who have
built a deep connection over time, but whose relationship never really
progressed into something that could last a lifetime.
“It's a song
that took me 20 years to write,” shares vocalist and guitarist Yael Yuzon.
“Inspired by Dead Stars by Paz Marquez Benitez and The Unbearable
Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera, So Close talks about the
possibility of a mirage in our poetic memory, a ‘what if’ that may have been
nothing more than a light radiating from a dead star. We might just be
romanticizing things.”
Other
songs in the album include previous releases “Labis-labis,” a soaring
tune that puts a uniquely captivating but relatable spin on the ‘love song’
format; “Hometown,” a grungy pop track with electronic textures and a
catchy chorus; and “Siguro nga,” a pop-rock ballad based on a character
study of a popular K-drama character.
Track
list:
1. Hometown
2. Alamat (MLBB 5th Anniversary Theme)
3. Kung Ako ang Pumiling
Tapusin Ito
4. Lumipas Ang Tag-araw
5. Laman Ng Panaginip
6. Labis-Labis
7. Siguro Nga
8. JAIRAH
9. Kung May Oras Ka
10. Signal #4
11. So Close (feat.
Morissette)
12. Champions
13. In the End
14. Labis-Labis - Acoustic
15. Kung Ako ang
Pumiling Tapusin Ito (Remix) (feat. Matthaios and Clien of ALLMO$T)
16. Kung Ako ang
Pumiling Tapusin Ito - Acoustic
17. Siguro Nga –
Acoustic (feat. Kai Honasan)
18. Siguro Nga (TMAC's
lo-fi Mix)
19. Laman ng Panaginip – Acoustic
Sponge
Cola’s Hometown, Part 2
is out now on all digital music platforms worldwide via Sony Music
Entertainment.
The
pop-rock outfit will be officially performing the songs off their new record
with an on-ground album launch in Eastwood City Central Plaza on August 12 from
6 pm onwards. Admission is free!
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