MANILA, Philippines —This is not a drill! IV of Spades guitarist, BLASTER, surprised fans with his highly-anticipated return, this time as a solo artist. The young musician is the newest addition to Island Records Philippines, a sub-label of Universal Music Philippines Inc., the home label that nurtured music geniuses like Zack Tabudlo, juan karlos, Fern. and many more.
Leaning into creating experimental pop music that is heavily characterized by immutable prettiness, BLASTER is set to show himself as a solo artist, with his inventive but technically adept musicianship.
Outside of his work with his former band, the young creative has worked with several artists, including doing production work for alt-R&B artist dia maté on the luscious summertime tune, “Dream,” and jamming with artists such as Ebe Dancel and Hilera’s Chris Padilla.
The 21-year-old singer-songwriter and producer also reveals that he is channeling his daily life experiences and random observations through music, purposefully aligning it with his brooding, socially aware, and intimate worldview. His writing feels more personal and honest this time around—not afraid to create artistic statements that double as confessionals.
Photographed by Shaira Luna. Courtesy of Island Records Philippines.
Now signed with Island Records Philippines, BLASTER is ready to release new music that strikes a balance between remarkable restraint and sonic adventurousness, with a not to outlandish personalities in music such as Radiohead and David Bowie, and genres that range from art rock to space rock, funk to Japanese city pop.
So far, he has currently recorded demos for his upcoming releases, which will see the light of day soon: there’s the deceptively simple “Disko Forever,” which pays tribute to a glorious era in music, while also dressing it up with woozily beautiful things this side of Krautrock and modern electronica, and the lighthearted and gorgeous number “Nararamdaman,” which showcases Blaster’s minimal instrumentation and guitar/bass skills.
Along with this announcement, BLASTER has also dropped a video performance of ‘DISKO FOREVER (Japanese version). While fans are on the lookout of his upcoming release, the mystery remains the future is bright and electric for the young prodigy.