December 8, 2024
Sponge Cola shares the other side of the story in new track “Kelly (Sagittarius)”
April 26, 2024
Sponge Cola releases “Tatlong Buwan,” a track inspired by hit K-drama Queen of Tears
Filipino band Sponge Cola releases another pop-rock
anthem inspired by a hit Korean drama.
Their new single “Tatlong Buwan”
explores a couple’s journey towards healing and reconnection. It echoes the
familiar narrative of everyone’s current favorite series, ‘Queen of Tears,’
which stars Korean superstars Kim Soo Hyun and Kim Ji Won.
According to Yael Yuzon, Sponge Cola’s lead vocalist
and guitarist, the song serves as “a love letter, epistolary, or even a
midnight soliloquy for one person.”
He explains, “Tatlong Buwan is inspired by the love
story of the main characters of Queen of Tears. It helps that it’s a
series; you really get to know the characters. You see why they’re the way they
are. Sociological factors, family ties, trauma. You see how they’re all shaped
and the push and pull of every character. Ultimately, there’s just so much
clarity in the way the narrative unfolds that it’s so easy to empathize, which
makes it easier to feel and easier to write.”
Yael wrote “Tatlong Buwan” immediately after catching the
tenth episode of the smash Netflix show. He admits that the song reflects the
urgency of the moment, inspiring him to write with newfound vulnerability.
“I don’t think I’ve ever said mamahalin ka lang, mamahalin
kita in a song before,” Yuzon reveals.
The following day, he recorded the song over at Love One
Another Studio with legendary music producer Angee Rozul, who told him to sing
it in a way that is exactly the opposite of the lyrical mood.
“This actually made me sadder, knowing that it’s a love song
that could sadly end in death,” said the Gemini hitmaker. “He had no
idea, so the burden was all on me.”
After getting approval from his bandmates, including the
ever-stoic Gosh, the band’s bassist, Yael Yuzon, sent the track to Joey Santos
for mixing and additional instrumentation. The result, as expected, is a
beautifully produced paean to a love that was once lost but is now found,
growing stronger by the day even after going through so many twists and turns.
The song will also be released with a music video that is set
against the backdrop of the key film locations in Queen of Tears. Yael
shares that the entire experience was completely magical, a labor of love and
an homage to one of the best K-dramas of all time.
“There’s something engulfing about visiting locations where
great narrative moments took place. It’s like these places witnessed so much emotion
that there’s still some of it left.”
Sponge Cola’s “Tatlong Buwan” is out
now on all digital music platforms worldwide via Sony Music Entertainment. The
official music video will be released on Friday, April 26 at 7 p.m. via Sponge
Cola’s official YouTube channel.
August 5, 2023
Sponge Cola finds connection in uncertain times on ninth studio album, Hometown, Part 2
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!
June 7, 2022
Sponge Cola reveals the inconvenient truth about regret on new single “Laman Ng Panaginip”
March 13, 2019
Sponge Cola to hold “Sea of Lights” Concert on March 29, 2019
March 3, 2018
Sponge Cola Renews Recording Contract with Universal Records
Sponge Cola has renewed their recording contract with Universal Records. The contract signing was held on February 28, 2018 at the