Sandwich's ability to embrace change has allowed them to remain one of the most lasting bands in Pinoy Rock. From navigating old-school media to eventually having their first Tiktok video, Raimund Marasigan together with his band also embraced changes on how music is created, distributed.

During an intimate interview held in Apotheka in Makati last Mar. 26, the band was asked about their thoughts about AI (Artificial Intelligence) taking over the music scene.

"We embrace technology," Raimund said.

For Mong Alcaraz, the band's guitarist, using AI has artistic value.

"Lahat may artistic value and artistic usage. It just really depends on how you use it," Mong shared.

Meanwhile, Diego Castillo added that despite them embracing the use of AI in their songs, he is still afraid that some artists are using AI in a manner that goes against ethics.

"For example, in posthumous release, they will get your voice and use it to make a song that's different, it's unethical and we don't want that," Diego said.

Being in the music scene for a long time, one thing Sandwich enjoys doing now is TikTok.

Last year, the band posted their first TikTok video as part of their campaign for their single "Morena."

According to Raimund, being present in those kinds of media platforms helps not just the band but each of them, individually.

"We benefit from it vastly.  Not necessarily musically.  For example when we travel for gigs we used to use Google Maps, now on TikTok you can push the location so it's also like an AI that you can train."  

"Back in the day, if you want to promote something, you go to traditional media. And that takes a lot. But with TikTok, it's free. It's up to you. It's not necessary but you can promote yourself for free instantly," Raimund added.

Sandwich goes "Kaswal''

The band is out with their newest EP called 'Kaswal''. 

"Kaswal" reflects a more refined and conscious approach to songwriting, emphasizing accessibility while maintaining Sandwich's signature style.

Why the title? 

"That's a good question. It's informal. It's casual. We've been releasing singles and we just decided rather casually that we compile everything and release it as an EP," Raimund mentioned.

Track #1 is “Nyare?” released in April 2023. The song was borne out of a guitar riff Diego absent-mindedly recorded on an iPhone. 

The song has that crunchy electric guitar goodness that we have come to love from the group but with a little funk groove thrown in for good measure.

“Ibang Araw Na Lang” is a song about how we should not let the downs we experience ruin the rest of our lives.

The third track is the critically acclaimed “Morena”, which Raimund describes as their love song for the Filipino, describing being morena as “Ang pinakamagandang kulay sa balat ng lupa…” 

Their most recent release, “Wag Ka Na Lang Kumagat” turns the inherent funk of this album even further with its dark, confrontational lyrics. 

Key single “Tag-ulan na naman” has that slick, funky, 70’s disco vibe. The song is about waking up on a rainy morning and wishing you didn’t have to get up and face the dread of a mundane daily life. 

The final cut, “Tag-araw” has that sinister clubby vibe to it that also tackles the dreariness of daily life, but from the perspective of a hot day.