Ace Banzuelo, Of Mercury, Sof Abrogar, and Alex Bruce Come Together to Reinterpret The Eraserheads’ Timeless Classics
Following the positive reviews that SB19
and NOBITA earned for their unique spin on The Eraserheads’ beloved
classics, more OPM acts have come together to pay tribute to the country’s
biggest and most influential band of all time.
Multi-hyphenate pop soloist Ace
Banzuelo reinterprets “Ang
Huling El Bimbo”
with intimate, soul-crushing details. Transforming the epic anthem into a
spacey jam, the young hitmaker peels back the layers of the original with his
brooding, bedroom-pop styling. He imprints his own identity to the material,
while valuing the lyrical profundity and awe-inspiring bigness of the original.
As Banzuelo puts it, “It's great that
I'm allowed to give it the sound and approach that I want. A lot of the
original was kept, but a lot was taken away. This project became meaningful to
me throughout the process because I was producing it as if I had written the
song."
Alt-rock newcomers of Mercury and
Any Name’s Okay vocalist Sof Abrogar join young hip-hop virtuoso Alex
Bruce in reinterpreting “Superproxy,” a
cross-genre smash originally performed by The Eraserheads and legendary rap
icon Francis M. The newly formed ensemble breathed new life into the timeless
tune with a more jagged sonic direction that sounds both retro and futuristic
at the same time.
“It was honestly an honor for us to be
able to cover an Eheads song and be able to incorporate our own flavor into
it,” says of Mercury in a collective statement. “I think we pretty much did our
own thing, but left the structures and melody of the song. It was a pretty
tricky song to work on given the genre, but we’re pretty happy with how it came
out nonetheless.”
Alex Bruce was grateful to be part of
this project, and considers the song one of her go-to jams. “This
song is a masterpiece. It’s iconic. I wanted to add a little spice, a little
flavor, and a bit of contemporary oomph to it. Our reworked version is a fusion
of old school and new school.”
Growing up in a big family with a
collective love and fascination for ‘80s and ‘90s Pinoy rock, Any Name’s Okay
lead vocalist Sof was initially intimidated by the project, but took the
challenge to heart in hopes of fulfilling her childhood dream. “Besides
what I mentioned earlier about my family, I take particular inspiration from
The Eraserheads’ lyricism in Tagalog
or Filipino. Even in my own music career with ANO, I try to use Filipino in our
songs as much as I can, and I really think the Eraserheads use the language in
all its richness and strength. I also love how they are unapologetic in writing
about our culture, whether that’s as shallow as UP life or as large as national
politics. The band inspires me to really root my own music in my own experiences
and in empathy for others’.
Apart
from the revamped tracks by some of today’s biggest hitmakers, five of The
Eraserheads’ legendary albums were re-released in full 360-degree spatial sound
to give listeners a new immersive music experience. These influential records
include Ultraelectromagneticpop!, The 25th Anniversary Remastered Edition,
Circus (25th Anniversary Remastered), Cutterpillow, Fruitcake, and Sticker
Happy.
Ace
Banzuelo’s “Ang Huling El Bimbo”
and of Mercury x Sof Abrogar x Alex Bruce’s “Superproxy” are out
now on all digital music platforms worldwide via Sony Music Entertainment.
Post a Comment