Since the wave of female-led power pop in the early 2000s OPM scene with bands like Juana, Moonstar88, and Imago, a new generation of listeners has come into the picture, often surprised to realize that Imago has been around since 1998. Known for hits such as “Akap” and “Sundo,” the band returns this year with a renewed sense of discovery on their latest EP, Pasimple. Produced and arranged by the band alongside longtime collaborators Raymund Marasigan and Buddy Zabala, the EP expands Imago’s trademark songwriting quirks.
Working with Marasigan and Zabala brings a different kind of discipline to the process. Both come from a background where arrangements are experimented in the studio, and that approach pushes the band to think outside of the box. Instead of building songs around what sounds familiar for many, they work on stripping back sections, reworking transitions, or even rethinking how a song should sound entirely. Past collaborations with younger producers like One Click Straight’s Tim Marquez also opened that door, where newer production sensibilities meet the band’s more organic approach. With Marasigan and Zabala involved, the band went into reworking their arrangements, allowing songs to revel in their pop mastery.
“They’re cosmic that way e. That’s half of the [Eraserheads],” Cacho says. “Between the two of them, ang dami nilang wealth of musical knowledge na puwede nilang i-impart sa inyo. To come up with parts [for the EP], and to do stuff like make sounds and arrange the songs. You just have to hear them out and then do it.”
The New Cool
In one of the EP’s tracks, “Lagi Na Lang,” the band captures that change in sound clearly. The track goes through the slow unraveling of a relationship, anchored by Tim Cacho’s fuzzed-out guitar lines, Myrene Academia’s steady bass, Mervin Panganiban’s controlled drumming, and Kurei Granada’s (who joined the band in 2022) measured vocal delivery. The tension simmers throughout the song, where the result still sounds unmistakably like Imago, but with a way of building up the track as a slow burner. With the addition of Granada in the band, she’s taking careful steps to fill in the big, responsible role as the new vocalist. Prior to joining, Kurei was a solo artist way back in 2019.
Newer bands move faster and take on different directions, but Imago stays with what they’ve always handled well ever since 1998: writing ‘hugot’ songs that land right at the listener’s feelings. Their new vocalist, Granada, knows very well how to deliver on her own terms.
Granada’s vocals in the new EP is dynamic, changing from captivating high power to soft, intimate performances, but during the interview, she lets Cacho, Panganiban, and Academia do much of the talking. The three spoke about what has defined an Imago song over the past 28 years, as Granada remained more reserved, given that she has only been with the band for four years and is careful with what she says. Moreover, she fits naturally into what Imago has been from the very beginning.
“I think without [Granada] knowing it, kahit just being herself, that’s already a new addition,” Academia says. “So, just putting her in [the band], the chemistry of the band has differed compared to the previous incarnations. Just being herself, being authentic, being true, and placing herself out there as well. Being vulnerable is already a part of her contribution to the band.”
“Syempre doon ‘yong kaba kase it’s a different sound,” Granada says. “Kailangan ko aralin ‘yong songs nila. Kelangan kong bigyan ng justice ‘yong mga songs nila kase alam ng maraming tao ‘e. Actually nung pumasok ako sa kanila, yun naman ang goal ko. To continue ‘yong nasimula nila.”
“When you’re looking for a band member, you just know that you clicked,” Cacho Rolling Stone Philippines. “Otherwise, it doesn’t make any sense to move forward and try to come up with songs when you know it’s not going to work out. So, everything she brings in, naturally she brings it.”
Their approach with the new addition is a lot more locked in than ever. The songs on Pasimple move at their own pace. The songwriting and performance hold everything together. Growth here comes from refining what already works for the band in time.
Pasimple comes out on March 20.
