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.
