Working with Marasigan and Zabala brings a different kind of discipline to the process. Both come from a background where arrangements are experimented in the studio, and that approach pushes the band to think outside of the box. Instead of building songs around what sounds familiar for many, they work on stripping back sections, reworking transitions, or even rethinking how a song should sound entirely. Past collaborations with younger producers like One Click Straight\u2019s Tim Marquez also opened that door, where newer production sensibilities meet the band\u2019s more organic approach. With Marasigan and Zabala involved, the band went into reworking their arrangements, allowing songs to revel in their pop mastery.<\/p>\n
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\u201cThey\u2019re cosmic that way e. That\u2019s half of the [Eraserheads],\u201d Cacho says. \u201cBetween the two of them, ang dami nilang wealth of musical knowledge na puwede nilang i-impart sa inyo. To come up with parts [for the EP], and to do stuff like make sounds and arrange the songs. You just have to hear them out and then do it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The New Cool<\/h2>\n
In one of the EP\u2019s tracks, \u201cLagi Na Lang,\u201d the band captures that change in sound clearly. The track goes through the slow unraveling of a relationship, anchored by Tim Cacho\u2019s fuzzed-out guitar lines, Myrene Academia\u2019s steady bass, Mervin Panganiban\u2019s controlled drumming, and Kurei Granada\u2019s (who joined the band in 2022) measured vocal delivery. The tension simmers throughout the song, where the result still sounds unmistakably like Imago, but with a way of building up the track as a slow burner. With the addition of Granada in the band, she\u2019s taking careful steps to fill in the big, responsible role as the new vocalist. Prior to joining, Kurei was a solo artist way back in 2019.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Newer bands move faster and take on different directions, but Imago stays with what they\u2019ve always handled well ever since 1998: writing \u2018hugot\u2019 songs that land right at the listener\u2019s feelings. Their new vocalist, Granada, knows very well how to deliver on her own terms.<\/p>\n
Granada\u2019s vocals in the new EP is dynamic, changing from captivating high power to soft, intimate performances, but during the interview, she lets Cacho, Panganiban, and Academia do much of the talking. The three spoke about what has defined an Imago song over the past 28 years, as Granada remained more reserved, given that she has only been with the band for four years and is careful with what she says. Moreover, she fits naturally into what Imago has been from the very beginning.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think without [Granada] knowing it, kahit just being herself, that\u2019s already a new addition,\u201d Academia says. \u201cSo, just putting her in [the band], the chemistry of the band has differed compared to the previous incarnations. Just being herself, being authentic, being true, and placing herself out there as well. Being vulnerable is already a part of her contribution to the band.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSyempre doon \u2018yong kaba kase it\u2019s a different sound,\u201d Granada says. \u201cKailangan ko aralin \u2018yong songs nila. Kelangan kong bigyan ng justice \u2018yong mga songs nila kase alam ng maraming tao \u2018e. Actually nung pumasok ako sa kanila, yun naman ang goal ko. To continue \u2018yong nasimula nila.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you\u2019re looking for a band member, you just know that you clicked,\u201d Cacho Rolling Stone Philippines<\/em>. \u201cOtherwise, it doesn\u2019t make any sense to move forward and try to come up with songs when you know it\u2019s not going to work out. So, everything she brings in, naturally she brings it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\nTheir approach with the new addition is a lot more locked in than ever. The songs on Pasimple<\/em> move at their own pace. The songwriting and performance hold everything together. Growth here comes from refining what already works for the band in time.\u00a0<\/p>\nPasimple comes out on March 20.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n