Fans of indie band The Pin-Up Girls, and the underground Filipino band scene, are celebrating the return of a group that carved its niche in the late ‘90s and the subsequent decade. What’s more interesting is that they recorded a comeback single written by Ely Buendia and originally performed by his band, Eraserheads.
The track, “One Last Angry Look,” was part of the Pop U! demo album that the now-legendary Eraserheads released before signing with a major record label. That album, accessible on YouTube, includes early versions of future classics like “Pare Ko,” “Tindahan Ni Aling Nena,” and “Toyang,” all of which were later featured on the band’s ground-breaking debut, Ultraelectromagneticpop!
Three other songs, “Wishing Wells,” “Milk and Money,” and “Scorpio Rising,” appeared on later Eraserheads albums.
However, “One Last Angry Look” was never properly recorded or released by Eraserheads, making this rendition—distributed by Offshore Music and Sony Music Philippines—a special case of a lost track finally finding its home.
“Yes, it’s sort of a comeback single,” said the group’s frontman Mondo Castro, who excitedly noted that they are “currently preparing to record a new album.”
The Pin-Up Girls had not released any new material for years, but last June they issued their debut album Hello Pain on vinyl under Eikon Records, with three newly recorded bonus tracks.
When asked what prompted them to formally reunite, Castro said, “The vinyl release lit a fire under us!”
For Pin-Up Girls’ “One Last Angry Look,” released last Friday (Oct. 4), original member Jeng Tan sings lead, with co-OG Pamela Aquino and Mondo providing backup vocals. Ryan Nachura, a later addition to the band, plays guitar, while Princess Ybanez of Rouge appears as a guest violinist.
“There are sad lines in a twist of fate / And there are bad rhymes to our sorry state,” the song opens, which becomes more poignant when you consider that they were written by a young songwriter yet to make his mark, who is now widely regarded as the greatest in Pinoy rock history.
Tan’s vocals are delivered with care, ensuring the sacred simplicity of the melody remains intact. The decision to have a female voice interpret the song added a fresh perspective to their rendition.
Ely’s singing on the Pop U! version was fiercely impassioned, while Jeng’s take on her band’s return to recording is finely controlled.
The violin part played with clarity and character, is a key ingredient that ensures justice is given to a song originally recorded raw in 1991.
The Pin-Up Girls were formed in 1996, partly because all three founding members were fans of New Wave music. Both Tan and Aquino were also members of the group Keltscross.
For some reason, The Pin-Up Girls were not signed by a mainstream label, so they independently released the indie album Hello Pain in 2001, followed by the EP Taste Test. The band’s cult hits include “Witching Hour,” “Ride Rocket Wild,” and “Caress,” the latter becoming a chart-topper on the revered NU 107.
The distribution deal with Offshore—a label associated with Buendia—worked wonders, as it revived a piece that only a hardcore Eraserheads fan, the kind who knows all their songs, including demo collections on cassette, would appreciate, and resurrected a band that big record labels may have overlooked in the ‘90s.
This could be The Pin-Up Girls’ one last—not angry, but clear—shot at glory, or perhaps the beginning of another fruitful journey.Fans of indie band The Pin-Up Girls, and the underground Filipino band scene, are celebrating the return of a group that carved its niche in the late ‘90s and the subsequent decade. What’s more interesting is that they recorded a comeback single written by Ely Buendia and originally performed by his band, Eraserheads.
The track, “One Last Angry Look,” was part of the Pop U! demo album that the now-legendary Eraserheads released before signing with a major record label. That album, accessible on YouTube, includes early versions of future classics like “Pare Ko,” “Tindahan Ni Aling Nena,” and “Toyang,” all of which were later featured on the band’s ground-breaking debut, Ultraelectromagneticpop!
Three other songs, “Wishing Wells,” “Milk and Money,” and “Scorpio Rising,” appeared on later Eraserheads albums.
However, “One Last Angry Look” was never properly recorded or released by Eraserheads, making this rendition—distributed by Offshore Music and Sony Music Philippines—a special case of a lost track finally finding its home.
“Yes, it’s sort of a comeback single,” said the group’s frontman Mondo Castro, who excitedly noted that they are “currently preparing to record a new album.”
The Pin-Up Girls had not released any new material for years, but last June they issued their debut album Hello Pain on vinyl under Eikon Records, with three newly recorded bonus tracks.
When asked what prompted them to formally reunite, Castro said, “The vinyl release lit a fire under us!”
For Pin-Up Girls’ “One Last Angry Look,” released last Friday (Oct. 4), original member Jeng Tan sings lead, with co-OG Pamela Aquino and Mondo providing backup vocals. Ryan Nachura, a later addition to the band, plays guitar, while Princess Ybanez of Rouge appears as a guest violinist.
“There are sad lines in a twist of fate / And there are bad rhymes to our sorry state,” the song opens, which becomes more poignant when you consider that they were written by a young songwriter yet to make his mark, who is now widely regarded as the greatest in Pinoy rock history.
Tan’s vocals are delivered with care, ensuring the sacred simplicity of the melody remains intact. The decision to have a female voice interpret the song added a fresh perspective to their rendition.
Ely’s singing on the Pop U! version was fiercely impassioned, while Jeng’s take on her band’s return to recording is finely controlled.
The violin part played with clarity and character, is a key ingredient that ensures justice is given to a song originally recorded raw in 1991.
The Pin-Up Girls were formed in 1996, partly because all three founding members were fans of New Wave music. Both Tan and Aquino were also members of the group Keltscross.
For some reason, The Pin-Up Girls were not signed by a mainstream label, so they independently released the indie album Hello Pain in 2001, followed by the EP Taste Test. The band’s cult hits include “Witching Hour,” “Ride Rocket Wild,” and “Caress,” the latter becoming a chart-topper on the revered NU 107.
The distribution deal with Offshore—a label associated with Buendia—worked wonders, as it revived a piece that only a hardcore Eraserheads fan, the kind who knows all their songs, including demo collections on cassette, would appreciate, and resurrected a band that big record labels may have overlooked in the ‘90s.
This could be The Pin-Up Girls’ one last—not angry, but clear—shot at glory, or perhaps the beginning of another fruitful journey.
