The Itchyworms dedicate new song “Panic In My Mind” to Chino Singson

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The upbeat, ‘60s-inspired track can also be interpreted in many ways, according to lead vocalist and drummer Jazz Nicolas

The Itchyworms are back with an upbeat, retro-pop tune that deals with the dread of knowing that your loved one will be moving away to a different place for good.

Their new single “Panic In My Mind” was specifically written for their bandmate Chino Singson, who moved to Canada with his family to start a new life.

But according to Jazz Nicolas (lead vocals, drums, piano, keyboards, and keytar), who wrote the song based on a real-life event, the meaning behind “Panic In My Mind” can be taken in multiple ways. “The second half of the song shifts the narrative to a bitter person whose ex-partner in now with someone else, and is having a jealous existential crisis because of that.”

The Itchyworms' signature sound lives on in "Panic in My Mind," which blends intricate vocal harmonies and colorful melodies with ‘60s-style pop. A perfect accompaniment for its lyrics, which talk about pining over someone in a world where they are the anomaly, the arrangement turns up the excitement a few more notches with its nuanced musicality. It’s done with effortless grace and less of theatrics.

“We were going for a more organic sound with acoustic instruments as opposed to our previous album, Waiting For The End To Start, which had a lot of electronic elements,” Nicolas explains. “It also has a ‘60s vibe due to the jangly guitars and three-part harmonies.”

“Panic In My Mind” is produced by Jazz Nicolas and Mikey Amistoso. The latter is a long-time friend and collaborator, who is now officially part of the band.

“He co-produced the song with us, played various instruments, and sang harmonies,” Nicolas adds.

The Itchyworms are set to embark on their first US tour, dubbed “Akin Ka Na Lang, Amerika.”

The multi-city concert kicks off on March 24 in New York City, New York and will wrap up on April 7 in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

Here are the official dates and venues:

March 24 - New York (D'Haven),

March 25 - Fort Worth (Ridglea Theater)

March 26 - San Antonio (The Grand Event Center),

March 29 - Houston (Gerry's Grill),

March 31 - San Francisco (Bal Theater):

April 1 - Los Angeles (The Noypitz DTLA)

April 2 - San Diego (Lola Happy Bistro)

April 5 - Chicago (Michella Terrace)

April 7 - Las Vegas (Diversion Amusements)

For more information about the tour, visit the band’s official social media pages and revamped website: www.itchyworms.com

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The Itchyworms’ “Panic In My Mind” is out now on all digital music platforms worldwide via Sony Music Entertainment.

The Itchyworms release new song “Eto Na (Ang Maliligayang Araw)” and a Spotify Music + Talk Show series to mark continued 25th anniversary celebration

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The Itchyworms celebrate their era-defining legacy with the release of their new single “Eto Na (Ang Maliligayang Araw)” and the six-part series, Worms Upon A Time: An Itchyworms Podcast as part of the band’s continued 25th anniversary celebration.

The year-long musical treat follows the success of Waiting For The End To Start, which was pressed on vinyl and immediately sold out upon its release, and the launch of “The Life I Know,” the first of its kind in the Philippine stop-motion animation music video, which garnered critical acclaim across the board.

25th Anniversary single

Returning to their brand of melodic pop-rock sensibilities with sharp hooks, bluesy guitar lines, and timeless lyrics, the multi-awarded Filipino band has dropped a call-and-response anthem about hurdling through the difficult times with a more hopeful mindset in life.

According to drummer and lead vocalist Jazz Nicolas, the song documents the feeling of being stuck in a challenging phase for a very long period, while hoping that everything will be fine. “You’re not quite there yet, but you feel that things are moving up a bit,” he emphasizes. “Kel and I call this the dark ages; it’s when all areas of your life seemed very bleak, and you always feel like there's no way out. In this song, you’re not out yet, but you have a feeling that you will be.”

Even before the pandemic happened, The Itchyworms have always wanted to produce a jam song that would make for a strong album opener. Most of their newer tracks gravitate toward the uncertainty of the future or the long-simmering anxiety brought by the lockdown. “Eto Na (Ang Maliligayang Araw),” however, confronts the situation that we’re in with the healing power of a catchy, upbeat guitar-pop tune. It’s a perfect fit for what a 25th anniversary should be: a commitment to represent the band’s music and the history held within it.

When the lockdown slightly eased, the band regrouped into the legendary Big Baby Studios, where some of the alt-rock quartet’s most notable hits were born. “Big Baby was always home to The Itchyworms, especially to Jazz, because this was his father’s original studio in their ancestral home,” lead vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Jugs Jugueta shares in a statement. “I remember recording the first few demos of The Itchyworms there. I also remember Tito Sonny showing us all of his guitars, and Chino and I were just in awe. Now, it has come full circle: Jazz and Peavey and the worms continue Tito Sonny’s legacy, and the fact that we recorded our 25th Anniversary single there means so much to us.”

The Itchyworms reworked the early version of the track by adding lyrics that pay homage to their story together as a group and even referenced some of their old songs in the material. Mixed and mastered by Jazz’s brother Peavy Nicolas, “Eto Na (Ang Maliligayang Araw)” finds the band experimenting with a Moog Little Phatty analog synth and a Yamaha Reface YC, bringing a unique twist on their classic sound. “It's good that we finally got to go into the studio for this,” Nicolas shares the process behind the recording. “We all recorded our instruments live in the studio. and all four of us sang on it.” The Itchyworms’ guitarist Chino Singson adds, “Plus the outro or coda is totally unrelated to the tonal center of the song, but it adds a Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour vibe.”

 Worms Upon A Time: An Itchyworms Show

To celebrate the release of their 25th anniversary single, the band launched Worms Upon A Time: An Itchyworms Podcast, a six-part series that explores the long-lasting appeal and impact of their albums in their 25 years of existence as a band. Produced by The Itchyworms and Sony Music Philippines, the show leverages Spotify’s latest format Music + Talk format, a new type of audio experience that brings together music tracks and spoken commentary, wrapped up into one immersive and interactive listening experience.

“I guess this is our version of the Beatles’ Anthology series,” Jugueta reveals. “Because that was the Beatles’ story as told by the Beatles. This show is our story, our history, our legacy as told by The Itchyworms ourselves. Look forward to stories that have never been shared before!”

 The Itchyworms will have important guests who will be joining them on the show. Jugueta explains, “This project is very close to our hearts, and we would like to thank Sony Music Philippines for producing it and to Wincy Ong for directing it and to Peavey Nicolas for recording and mixing it.”

The Itchyworms are also set to release a mockumentary that chronicles their 25 years in the music industry and a music video of their self-titled track “Waiting For The End To Start,” whose visual narrative serves as an artistic take on the ‘dystopian future post-pandemic’ life in the Philippines.    

The Itchyworms’ new single “Eto Na (Ang Maliligayang Araw)” is out now on all digital music platforms worldwide via Sony Music Philippines. Worms Upon A Time: An Itchyworms Podcast is also available on Spotify.

The Itchyworms mark 25th anniversary with the release of stop-motion animation film, “The Life I Know”

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Iconic pop-rock outfit The Itchyworms kick off their 25^th anniversary in the music industry with the official video release of “The Life I Know,” a piano-backed ballad off their fifth studio album, Waiting For The End To Start—released on digital music platforms via Sony Music Philippines.

Helmed by partners Marie Jamora and Jason McLagan of Indie Pop Films with animation from Apartment D, the music video is a first of its kind in the Philippines to feature a stop-motion animation format that is embedded with Filipino cultural sensibilities.

The journey of Awit

According to award-winning filmmaker Marie Jamora, the music video follows the story of Awit, a toddler who begins to understand her place in the world as she gets more independent from her mom. Tension arises when an incoming new sibling threatens to take the place that was once her own comfort space. Marie Jamora adds, “with this spiritual quest, Awit realizes that she needs to accept her new baby brother in order to reconnect once again with her mother.”

“Being a new mother myself and remembering the experience of having a baby in my own womb, I always wondered what was going on inside, whether there was a different universe that my baby lived in,” says Jamora. “This all inspired and informed me for our video. I don’t think I would have ever thought of this concept if I didn’t go through this experience.”

Director of animation Cami Kwan is proud of how important the film is in documenting the universal experience of growing up, and relates the concept to how a child starts to lose the world they’ve known, and navigate a new realm that is both uncomfortable and terrifying, but is part of a bigger life process. “There is a beauty and awe in embracing a wider world, of seeing beyond yourself, but there is an inherent loss in that as well, and we wanted to explore that sense of melancholy as well as that sense of power and joy.”

Trusted collaborator

Having worked with The Itchyworms for so many years as a former manager and music director for their timeless hits “Antipara,” “Buwan,” and “Love Team,” Jamora is a trusted collaborator of the band who has maintained a formidable friendship with them through the years. Lead vocalist, drummer and all-around musician Jazz Nicolas explains that of all the directors they’ve collaborated with, Jamora is the one that knows them really well. “I fully trust her with making this video. I asked her to make us a music video and to choose any song from the album she wanted to work on. She chose The Life I Know. I trust that she would put her whole heart into it and come up with something awesome, as she always does.”

“Personally, I always thought that her talent is really for the international stage,” co-lead vocalist, guitarist, and multi-instrumentalist Jugs Jugueta speaks fondly of Jamora. “With this project, we hope The Itchyworms too, can reach an international audience.”

Dream Weaver

As for the visual execution of the music video, Cami Kwan was excited with the infinite possibilities of the stop-motion animation as it “brings real materials to life in a way that no other art form can.” In true Filipino fashion, Kwan reveals that the team has always wanted to celebrate the tradition of weaving that exists in the country, specifically the textures and pattens in the work of T'Boli Dream Weaver. “The Dream World is made entirely of these traditional woven fabrics, and the characters are all made out of wool and other weaving materials,” the animator points out. “This fundamentally links the characters to the Dream World, which we also designed to evoke the feeling and patterns of a womb. Dreams and wombs are safe spaces, where anything is possible and where life can be created from nothing.”

The music video release of “The Life I Know” is part of a campaign series that aims to champion the legacy of Jazz Nicolas, Jugs Jugueta, Kelvin Yu, and Chino Singson a.k.a. The Itchyworms as one of the definitive bands of our time, a true mark of an artist that continues to shape pop culture consciousness for more than two decades and redefine Pinoy artistry with cross-generational classics. As part of the multiple celebrations that mark their existence for two decades and a half, The Itchyworms are also set to release the 25^th anniversary single “Eto Na,” a music video to their title track “Waiting For The End To Start,” a mockumentary chronicling their official ‘untrue’ story and Worms Upon A Time podcast.

The music video of The Itchyworms’ “The Life I Know” will be out on the band’s Official YouTube Channel and WeTV at 7:00pm.