Cebu-based band The Sundown is set to amp up everyone’s playlists with their new single under Island Records Philippines.
Produced by OPM rock legend Raimund Marasigan (of Eraserheads and Sandwich fame), “Don’t Forget Tonight” is a hard-edged, hooky and guitar-driven song abouta foolish person who’s risking everything for love.
Composed of vocalist Aaron Domingo, guitarists Gino Rosales and Vincent James Eco; drummer Alden Panes, and bassist Luigi Balazo, the band says the song is about being unable to break up with a toxic partner.
“When you’re in a relationship like that, you can’t and won’t stop even if you know it’s bad for you,” Aaron explains.
For Aaron and his bandmates, working with Raimund on “Don’t Forget Tonight” is easily the best thing that has happened to them since they became a band.
“Raimund is someone we look up to and respect. It was quite a privilege to have him produce the song,” Gino says. “Obviously, collaborating was a challenge because of the pandemic, but thanks to the power of the internet, we pulled it off. It would’ve been cool to do it in person if things were normal, though.”
“Ha! No. We would’ve been too lucky,” Luigi laughs when asked if they had met Raimund prior to working with him. “You know how you know everything about your crush but they don’t even know you exist? That’s what our relationship with him was like before this collaboration, and it wouldn't have been possible without our label and Open Door.”
When asked what his first impression of The Sundown was, Raimund said, “It seemed they were excited about the song. As a producer, my job is to give them options and solutions so they can meet their goals. The song was already good and recorded very well when I heard it. But they felt it was missing something, so together we tried to figure out what that was.”
“He was a chill dude to work with. As the drummer, I’ll never forget the pep talk he gave us before we recorded the drum parts. We all were open to the knowledge he dropped. A bunch of changes were made to the song after he hopped on it with us. We're happy we made those changes too,” Alden says.
“We can't give away everything Raimund told us, but what we can say is that he told us to always keep the listeners in mind when creating the flow of a song. A song has to flow right from start to finish. Handling the energy and having it transform throughout the song, knowing when to hit hard and pull back,” Vincent shares.
Raimund would’ve preferred to work with The Sundown in person. But although they weren’t able to because of health and safety protocols, he was very impressed with how easily the boys made things work. It’s a good thing they persevered, because the music scene needs them now more than ever. In a time where most people are feeling anxious and stressed because of the ongoing pandemic, The Sundown’s buoyant spirit and high-octane sound is just what the doctor ordered.
“Don’t Forget Tonight” is out now on all digital music platforms.