MANILA, Philippines—Our ears are often attuned to the beats of popular charts. While the continuing reign of OPM favorites, backed by musical giants and labels, raising the beautiful tapestry of our homegrown music thrust to the world is admirable, it is easy to see that this leaves the raw and authentic sounds of indie Filipino bands in the shadows.
As we embark on furthering our love and a journey to unveil the musical treasures that have been obscured by the mainstream spotlight, here are some independent bands you won’t wanna miss listening to.
DOTTY’S WORLD
Image courtesy of Dotty’s World FB Page
Dotty’s World is an up-and-coming band that fuses millennial flair with the melodies of OPM. With a large fan base on social media and platforms like Spotify, the band is made up of Dotty Chan on vocals and guitars, Ethan Chan on bass, MC Altura on guitar, and Lanz Vivero on drums.
Their cover of the Eraserheads classic single, “With a Smile” stands as their most streamed and loved single, giving the audiences across generations a feel of classic and love with music.
The band’s journey began with their vocalist and guitar lead, Dotty Chan who, at just 15, started writing songs about love, which gives the groundwork for the band’s formations. One of their early tracks, “Wala naman pala”, penned by Chan during a classroom moment in 2017, captures the millennial spirit.
Listeners are captivated with their relatable music particularly on love with catchy melodies that leave the listeners hooked to the music. With another milestone for the band, their latest single “Miss Mo” is making waves through the mainstream current of well-received tracks listened to today.
THE RANSOM COLLECTIVE
Image courtesy of The Ransom Collective
When on a going on roadtrips- or hanging out in a cottage- core feel, The Ransom Collective, famously known for their 2016 single “Settle,” gives listeners a folk music and relaxing vibe.
After winning from Wanderband 2014, a competition on starting young acts in music, The Ransom Collective found themselves performing around the metro. The six-piece indie folk band is made up of Kian Ransom (vocals, guitar), Redd Claudio (Drums), Jermaine Choa Peck (percussions, vocals), Leah Halili (bass, vocals), Lily Gonzales (keyboards, vocals), and Muriel Gonzales (violin, vocals). Their music brings percussive patterns, mostly acoustic driven music to most of their songs.
With their strong music making its presence felt through the local scene, the group has furthered its reach in major music festivals and has collaborated with singers like Yuna (Malaysia), while now setting its course on making a mark in Southeast Asia.
CAROUSEL CASUALTIES
Image courtesy of Carousel Casualties via FB Page
Carousel Casualties is an alternative quintet based in Manila. The band was formed in late 2016, with Jot Nicanor on bass and guitars, Ryan Pineda on drums and percussion, Earl Garcia on bass and synths, and Emmanuel Villegas and Pauline Villanueva on vocals and guitars.
Carousel Casualties is a dynamic musical force that grew out of a modest bedroom music project. In their modest beginnings, the band’s creative spark first kindled in a 20-square meter bedroom, with their music discography starting on Wish Bus, for their debut performance.
The band then made its way to a bigger stage alongside global acts such as Daniel Ceasar, The Rose, and many more, also bringing their songs to music festivals the likes of UP Fair 2023 and ConQUEST festival 2023 and even performed Wanderland 2018.
ANY NAME’S OKAY
Photo By Andrea Genota via Any Name’s Okay FB Page
Any Name’s Okay is an alternative pop band that started at a school dormitory in the University of the Philippines. The band is composed of Sofia Abrogar (vocals), Renzo Lumanog (guitar, vocals), Juan Lada (bass), Arvin Olete (drums) and Anton Atienza (lead guitar). This diverse group gives a youthful, fresh, and reflective music, giving the listeners a feeling of coming of age harmony.
Any Name’s Okay struck a chord of a hit single “Clouds,” which received a million streams on music platforms. The single became a fan favorite because of its upbeat and soothing mood, which takes listeners to a peaceful musical setting. Their song “The Sun” then brought a nostalgic summer atmosphere to it, with guitar-driven melodies that will make you feel that you are on a road vacation and camping trip with friends.
Moreover, the group has been nominated for multiple categories in Awit Awards 2019. And not only that, having to perform on music festivals across Metro Manila such as UP Fair through 2018 to 2023, Coke Studio Roadshow, and more. They were also featured as Philippine Sole Performers in Pasiwali Music Festival 2019 in Taiwan.