3 new Pinoy indie albums to get: Stef & Euge, Through the Waves & Esremborak

3 new Pinoy indie albums to get: Stef & Euge, Through the Waves & Esremborak

by rick olivares

There are three new independent releases by Filipino bands that you would do well to pick up.

And here they are:

Shoreline by Through the Waves

You’d think that with the musical landscape decked with all these post-rock instrumental bands such as Tom’s Story (if they are still around since the actual person behind the name “Tom” has left the band), tide/edit, the Insektlife Cycle, and Yomi No Kuni to name a few is crowded if not all the same.

But it isn’t. Tom’s Story is like a New Wave version bursting with energy. Tide/edit has a more progressive rock feel to them. The Insektlife Cycle has a touch of psychedelia in them while Yomi No Kuni borders on the black gaze. 

This five-song EP by the post-rock instrumental band from Pangasinan -- Through the Waves -- is closer to that band that shoved this genre to the forefront – American crew, Explosions in the Sky. And this means a more emotional and cinematic feel to the songs. 

And true enough, Through the Waves is a roller coaster of calm seas that end with the storm to come. Brilliant.

Steph & Euge by Stef & Euge

If you’ve played Mike’s Apartment’s album, Lovers/Quarrel to death then here is another one to keep you company and listen to ad infinitum.

R&B duo out of Ateneo, Stef & Euge (vocalist Stef Aranas and Eugene Yaptangco on production), have crafted a five-song EP that is sheer delight. It has that scatting feel of Bobby Caldwell and the playfulness of Drake. 

This EP also is a concept album with relationships in mind. Each song is designed to flow into one another and give one another more meaning.

Basura Songs by Esremborak 

When was the last time you heard enjoyable songs that you can sing along to and laugh at the same time? Ukelele rockers Esremborak, that surprise band that performed during the Pepe Smith Rockfest from last year, have made their indie debut with a five-song gem of an EP titled, Basura Songs. 

No, they aren’t being condescending. There is a wit to this band. But like any street poet, there is truth to the songs. And that is what gives songs such as “Seenzoned” (that takes a stab at social media), “Longlive Pangets” (about the challenges of being unattractive and probably a close cousin to rapper Andrew E’s “Humanap Ka ng Panget”), and “Ayoko sa Babae” (about finding love) listenable and hummable is the band’s sense of humor. You’d think that having a twin ukulele attack makes Esremborak a novelty band? 

Not at all. As we said before, they have the pulse and wit of Yano and the playfulness of Parokya ni Edgar. This band is going to be big.