DEBUT, SELF-TITLED LP, PANTAYO, OUT MAY 8 VIA TELEPHONE EXPLOSION
LISTEN AND SHARE “V V V (THEY LIE)” SOUNDCLOUD / SPOTIFY
Photo Credit : Sarah Bo // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES
Pantayo explores what’s possible for contemporary kulintang music with the atonal blend of kulintang ensemble instruments with vocals and electronic production. Today, they share the second single off their upcoming self-titled debut, “V V V (They Lie)”.
“We wrote ‘V V V (They Lie)’ in a day,” the band says. “We were having bubble tea at that time and the song just came together intuitively. The composition of the song was a lot like a cup of bubble tea. We added 2 cups of blended percussion as the base, then some analog synth tapioca pearls to keep the texture interesting and fun, and finally topped it off with a few tablespoons of fresh tropical vocal fruits for some added sweetness.”
LISTEN AND SHARE “V V V (THEY LIE)” SOUNDCLOUD / SPOTIFY
The album features eight diverse songs speaking to Pantayo’s musical influences as queer diasporic Filipinas. Produced by Yamantaka // Sonic Titan’s alaska B, Pantayo was written and recorded from 2016-2019 in Toronto.
Pantayo is an audio diary of how the ensemble has grown together as writers and performers. The songwriting process started with members workshopping and performing traditional kulintang pieces from the Southern Philippines, often instrument-switching on the kulintang, agongs, sarunays, gandingan, bandir, and dabak. Adapting kick drums and synths to the modal tuning of the gongs further expanded Pantayo’s ability to incorporate modern musical expressions such as punk and R&B. “If you listen to the recordings of our rehearsals and songwriting sessions, you can hear us deconstructing the kulintang parts section-by-section and practicing our songs in different styles” says keyboardist and vocalist Eirene Cloma. “You can also hear how close we’ve gotten and how our creative workflow strengthened over the years.”
LISTEN AND SHARE “DIVINE” SOUNDCLOUD / SPOTIFY
Grounded in the interpretation of kulintang music, Pantayo can be a vehicle for discussions around diasporic Filipino identity. All five members have different experiences of settling in Canada and with that comes their relationships with music. Kat Estacio, co-founder of Pantayo, says “One way that we can make this world feel like home for folks like us is to mix the kulintang music that we learned with different sounds and song structures that feel familiar to us."
Pantayo's self-titled record will be released on May 8, 2020 via Telephone Explosion Records.
PRE-ORDER PANTAYO HERE
PANTAYO TRACKLIST
1. Eclipse
2. Divine
3. Heto Na
4. Bronse
5. V V V (They Lie)
6. Taranta
7. Kaingin
8. Bahala Na
