Following the positive reviews that SB19 and NOBITA earned for their unique spin on The Eraserheads’ beloved classics, more OPM acts have come together to pay tribute to the country’s biggest and most influential band of all time.
Multi-hyphenate pop soloist Ace Banzuelo reinterprets “Ang Huling El Bimbo” with intimate, soul-crushing details. Transforming the epic anthem into a spacey jam, the young hitmaker peels back the layers of the original with his brooding, bedroom-pop styling. He imprints his own identity to the material, while valuing the lyrical profundity and awe-inspiring bigness of the original.
As Banzuelo puts it, “It’s great that I’m allowed to give it the sound and approach that I want. A lot of the original was kept, but a lot was taken away. This project became meaningful to me throughout the process because I was producing it as if I had written the song.”
Alt-rock newcomers of Mercury and Any Name’s Okay vocalist Sof Abrogar join young hip-hop virtuoso Alex Bruce in reinterpreting “Superproxy,” a cross-genre smash originally performed by The Eraserheads and legendary rap icon Francis M. The newly formed ensemble breathed new life into the timeless tune with a more jagged sonic direction that sounds both retro and futuristic at the same time.
“It was honestly an honor for us to be able to cover an Eheads song and be able to incorporate our own flavor into it,” says of Mercury in a collective statement. “I think we pretty much did our own thing, but left the structures and melody of the song. It was a pretty tricky song to work on given the genre, but we’re pretty happy with how it came out nonetheless.”
Alex Bruce was grateful to be part of this project, and considers the song one of her go-to jams. “This song is a masterpiece. It’s iconic. I wanted to add a little spice, a little flavor, and a bit of contemporary oomph to it. Our reworked version is a fusion of old school and new school.”
Growing up in a big family with a collective love and fascination for ‘80s and ‘90s Pinoy rock, Any Name’s Okay lead vocalist Sof was initially intimidated by the project, but took the challenge to heart in hopes of fulfilling her childhood dream. “Besides what I mentioned earlier about my family, I take particular inspiration from The Eraserheads’ lyricism in Tagalog or Filipino. Even in my own music career with ANO, I try to use Filipino in our songs as much as I can, and I really think the Eraserheads use the language in all its richness and strength. I also love how they are unapologetic in writing about our culture, whether that’s as shallow as UP life or as large as national politics. The band inspires me to really root my own music in my own experiences and in empathy for others’.
Apart from the revamped tracks by some of today’s biggest hitmakers, five of The Eraserheads’ legendary albums were re-released in full 360-degree spatial sound to give listeners a new immersive music experience. These influential records include Ultraelectromagneticpop!, The 25th Anniversary Remastered Edition, Circus (25th Anniversary Remastered), Cutterpillow, Fruitcake, and Sticker Happy.
Ace Banzuelo’s “Ang Huling El Bimbo” and of Mercury x Sof Abrogar x Alex Bruce’s “Superproxy” are out now on all digital music platforms worldwide via Sony Music Entertainment.
