Barbie’s Cradle Is Back, But Don’t Call Their Reunion A ‘Nostalgia Trip’

Pop-rock quartet Barbie’s Cradle is not going for the nostalgia factor in their much-awaited comeback concert. The band, consisting of vocalist and guitarist Barbie Almalbis, lead guitarist Kakoy Legaspi, bassist Rommel Dela Cruz, and drummer Wendell Garcia, reunited in March 2023 for Firewoman, the 25th anniversary concert chronicling Almalbis’ career and greatest hits, including songs from her previous band, Hungry Young Poets.

Their upcoming one-night-only show at the Music Museum on August 1 comes to the delight of longtime fans and newcomers alike. While the band felt honored by the strong reception, Almalbis, Legaspi, Dela Cruz, and Garcia saw it as another day hanging out with friends and family. As most of the members have settled into becoming a recording band, the quartet recalled how they still invite each other in the studio to jam. The result is three new songs that had been sitting in the vault for more than two decades.

“Barbie’s house is where she invited us [to jam], almost out of the blue,” Legaspi tells Rolling Stone Philippines. “I think Barbie is really getting good with her studio chops, and it’s like hitting two birds with one stone. When we get to hang out together, then we can get to record, she gets to experiment. We weren’t thinking about doing a gig. We never lost touch, and we always had that creative spark amongst us four, and it just worked out.”

Throughout the years, Barbie’s Cradle released three notable albums from the pop-rock spectrum: Barbie’s Cradle in 1999, Music from the Buffet Table in 2000, and Playing in the Fields in 2003. Although their last release came out in 2003 and pop-rock scenes have gone through countless stylistic shifts since then, Barbie’s Cradle remains unfazed by changing trends, recording technology, and songwriting techniques. Almalbis reckons that rather than pointing out what has changed, she notices more of what has “stayed the same.”

The band’s latest single, “Emergency,” was penned lyrically by both Legaspi and Almalbis. The two developed it through a studio session, experimenting with odd time signatures and the hypnotic harmonies that Almalbis had to troubleshoot during recording. Legaspi admits that the jarring approach became a way to exercise his creativity as a songwriter.

In the process, the band noticed a significant shift in creating music, from scheduling jams manually in the early 2000s to making music online instantly two decades later. Almalbis points out that learning about new music and new techniques today has become much easier because of the internet.

“‘Yung isa sa mga major things na na-appreciate ko now versus before was the fact na wala na ‘yung gatekeepers ng music dati,” Almalbis says. “Kasi nga the record labels only had a certain number of people they could sign. And then they’re the only people who will have access to radio or TV. Talagang sobrang konti lang ng mga gagawa ng music and share and reach ang audience dati. And now anybody can do it. That is actually a good thing for everybody, people who are young and in their bedroom making music.”

Almalbis cites artists like Fleetwood Mac and Kate Bush as examples of acts whose longevity found a second life on the internet. Whether it’s a Gen Z audience or longtime listeners who once watched them live in the ‘90s and now catch performances on YouTube, artists can still find their audience regardless of age, platform, or the device people use to listen.

“Parang wala na rin ‘yung sense of ageism sa tingin ko,” Almalbis says. “It’s a good thing that anybody can find their audience and reach out to their audience again. And even break those barriers of age. Bumukas na ‘yung highway and it’s a big gate na.”

Not A Nostalgia Trip

The upcoming concert has every member of the band feeling hopeful. Most of the time, they simply meet at Almalbis’ recording studio. This time, they get to jam in front of an audience on a bigger stage.

For Almalbis, the band is an evolving group of friends. Their friendship has only grown stronger through the experiences they shared during their short but memorable run. Over the years, Barbie’s Cradle has continued to grow through trust and the passion they still have for one another as bandmates and friends.

“It’s the trust that you can’t really manufacture,” Almalbis says. “Maybe it’s born out of having been bandmates for a long time, and then even in the last 20 years kahit hindi kami official bandmates. Parang we’ve been privy to what the other person has been up to all these years.”

“Parang nasa fourth quarter ako ng buhay ngayon and you want to spend time with people na alam mong makaka-create ka,” Dela Cruz says. “This is the band that I’ve been with since the very start. ‘Yun ‘yung prayer ko: isa pang cycle with the band. And the fact that [the concert] is happening, sobrang natuwa ako. Medyo nagising ‘yung ‘Bahay Musico,’ ganun.”

Dela Cruz describes the feeling as “going home” after decades apart as a band.

Almalbis is already thinking beyond the show itself. For her, Barbie’s Cradle doesn’t end once the reunion concert is over.

“We’re not all about looking back and being nostalgic,” Almalbis says. “As artists, you’re always looking to be surprised, to create something new, and we’ve always been that way, and we’re still that way today.”