Cool, hazy, dreamy

Cool, hazy, dreamy

By Lui Queaño
The Philippine Reporter

Uppercase’s self-released Christmas single Babalik (Returning) is, in a word, pretty cool. The first Christmas single of this local Toronto pop indie rock Original Pinoy Music (OPM) band, is soft with crispy lead guitar parts, toned bass, synths, thoughtful guitar work and distinct vocals. Mark de Leon’s gentle voice with Pinoy rock band influences like Neocolors , Eraserheads and inspired contemporaries like John Mayer and Ed Sheeran is easily recognizable just like from their debut album, Time Space Warp, released in 2013 characterized by mellow, melancholy songwriting.

“Babalik” is a bright, spacey voyage that guides the listener to a “cool,” hazy, dreamy number with solid romantic vocals and harmonies with precise pacing that keeps the downtempo song feeling relaxed without becoming boring. The song is an emotive number in which Mark uses his voice as the guiding instrumentation encompassing pining and sorrow while the band backs it up with a slow but steady groove.

Frontman Mark de Leon and the band’s co-founder Allan Lagat put their creative minds together to compose a song brought to life by Kyle Saliva’s drum kicks and tambourine and Joey Giagonia’s lead guitar – with the lyrics that feel expansive, like you could listen to them many times over. Giagonia, apparent in his music, created a sound that has plenty of texture and traditional blues elements- wailing harmonica, slide guitar, melancholy lyrics- but it’s modern too, with notable heavier-rock influences. So what began as a simple love song has morphed into a beautiful Christmas melody that has the embodiment of a musical form in an intricate fretwork meandering through the valley of ones’ soul. And so the song was born just in time for the holiday season. It is perfect for a Christmas drive on a long, cold winter night with your head resting on your lover’s shoulder while the music plays on.

Bitbit ko ang regalo mo
na bubuksan pagdating sa ‘yo.
At ang tanging panalangin ko:
Makapiling ka ngayong pasko.

(I am carrying your gift
That I will open when I come to you.
And my only prayer:
Is to be with you this Christmas)

The song Babalik was featured on TV Migrante’s Sining at Kultura (Arts and Culture) Rogers Cable 869 and is now available on Spotify, iTunes, Apple Music, Deezer and YouTube.