Ben&Ben releases another personal song with universal theme

The band Ben&Ben has already made major scores with a series of chart-busting singles. Pagtingin, Leaves, Kathang Isip, Maybe the Night, Masyado Pang Maaga and even a Bread cover, Make It With You. Just think it has also cracked the 500 million streams ceiling on Spotify and been listed in the Billboard Social 50 chart of artists leading social networking services.

Therefore, it is now time for the group to make its bid in the international music market. Why not, thanks to modern technology, the music business is now global. While previous years required exporting physical records abroad, all it takes nowadays for a song to be heard in other countries is a click or two.

Besides, note that K-Pop, an Asian genre, has already accomplished what musicians everywhere had always dreamed of, acceptance and massive sales worldwide, including in the mecca of popular music, the U.S. of A. So, why not a Filipino act like Ben&Ben?

Now available on the Sony label is Doors, a new pop alt original composed by the Ben&Ben frontmen, the Guico twins, Paolo and Miguel.  The mellow song’s theme is passive aggressiveness, which they see as universal and that people everywhere can relate to.

They say: “Doors is one of the most personal songs that we have written. It’s about passive-aggressiveness, how it can ruin relationships and how anyone can be either the sending or the receiving end of it. So much of the hurt in the world now, much of which we all experience daily as well, is caused by people not speaking what is really on their minds.

“We drew on our emotions on this topic to craft the melody riffs, beats and textures of the song. It was done so quickly. One day, we were just jamming the song and a few days after, we already had the track on record. Everyone just performed with their rawest and purest feelings to make the arrangement.”

Doors pleads for “open doors.” It features the soaring strings and falsetto flourishes that have become the Ben&Ben trademark. Aside from the global release, the record is also special because it was mixed by the Grammy-winning Miles Walker, who has done the same to music by Beyonce, Usher, Coldplay and Rihanna, and was mastered by Leon Zeervas, who has worked with Pink, Maroon 5 and the Beastie Boys.

New from Hey Moonshine. This is the band that got its name from the fact that all of its members like to drink. They also like to have fun and their music, which is heavily influenced by Southern Rock and the blues, is all about that. But make no mistake about it, they take their causes seriously and this is most evident in the songs they write.

Hey Moonshine has released a new single titled Wicked Man, this is the band’s follow-up to its impressive We’ll Break This War. This time around, Hey Moonshine takes on Mother Nature and how she is being oppressed by cruel wicked men. With its characteristic engaging beat, Hey Moonshine encourages nature to fight back and I guess that is what is happening right now in this time of COVID-19.

Incidentally, just saw a news item. A huge hole in the ozone layer has repaired itself! The result would have been fatal for us if it hadn’t. Mankind is quarantined but Mother Nature is healing fast.

Another follow-up single. This time around it is a Peso production featuring the hip-hop collective Soulstice. Remember them? This was the group which came up with the No. 1 streamer Ivana about this IG sensation with nine million followers known for her sexy get-ups around her house. “Look at you girl, ang ganda ganda mo, Ivana nararamdaman ko.”

For its sophomore outing, Soulstice turns serious with Kabet. Set to a soft, engaging beat, Soulstice goes like this. “Wala namang may gusto na maging pangalawa/ nakapili ka na ba kung sino sa aming dalawa/ kung sino sa aming dalawa ang mas mahalaga/ o mas mahal mo talaga.”

Ivana with its millions and millions of downloads and streams is a hard act to follow. But although lacking the novelty appeal, Kabet is doing very well. Looks like Soulstice is here to stay.