IV of Spades are back. On July 16, the pop-rock band released “Aura” under Sony Music Philippines; it’s their first single in five years, bringing together vocalist Unique Salonga, bassist Zild Benitez, guitarist Blaster Silonga, and drummer Badjao de Castro. Known for breakout hits like “Mundo,” “Where Have You Been, My Disco?” and “Come Inside of My Heart,” the group dominated the local scene in the late 2010s with their blend of glam, funk, and crisp pop songwriting.
The music video for “Aura” shows the four of them together on a hilltop, quietly reintroducing themselves with synth textures that pull from folk and electronica. Salonga and Benitez trade vocals with a calm but precise energy, leaning less into flash and more into restraint.
Since their inception back in 2014, IV of Spades have gone onstage at select festivals, including All of the Noise in Makati and Clockenflap in Hong Kong prior to their hiatus in 2020. Since then, each member has gone on to develop their own sound with De Castro releasing two records with the experimental rock band Party Pace, while Salonga and Silonga released solo albums inspired by sounds in psychedelia, synth-pop, and lo-fi. Meanwhile, Benitez built a prolific solo catalog with three full-length albums that channeled alt-pop and stripped-down songwriting.
What this reunion brings is still unfolding. Each member has stretched in different muscial directions, and it remains to be seen how those individual voices will fuse back into a shared sound. If “Aura” is any indication, the band is less interested in reliving old formulas and more focused on building something new from where they are now.
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