MANILA, Philippines — Following the release of his first single “Puzzle,” Manila-based musician Gabba Santiago, known under his mononym Gabba, drops a new single that offers a sliver of hope amid all this darkness.
Released under A Spur of the Moment Project, “Interim” is crafted with rich guitars, bright percussion, and soft vocals that, blended together, bring optimism to its listeners. The music video is a reflection of the same message, a reminder for us to take it one day at a time.
“For me, it’s like a ‘time stamp’ of the current situation,” explains Gabba. “Even though if sometimes it feels like an endless loop of hopelessness, I still want to believe that all of this is temporary and that there is light at the end.”
An almost spontaneous reaction to the recent circumstances we find ourselves in, “Interim” was originally intended as content for social media. However, after posting it on his personal accounts, everything changed for Gabba.
“It was really just supposed to be a loop video that I’d post on my personal socials, which I did, and that was that,” Gabba shares. “But once I was done with creating and posting it, things felt different for me; it was as if it was exactly what I needed at that time. Maybe my thirst to create was quenched. I don’t know. I feel like it was able to capture how I felt about things during that time.”
It was the feedback Gabba received online that made him decide to include the single in the album.
“I received comments that [“Interim”] sounded like pag-asa rock (“hope” rock),” he adds. “So that feeling, along with the comments I received on how the song gives them hope, made me think that maybe the song has a bigger purpose than I originally planned for.”
“Interim” is the second single off of Gabba’s upcoming debut album, and describes it as “a polar opposite” to puzzle.
“I didn’t really plan on [recording “Interim”]. I just had this itch to create. In a way, it is spontaneous. I planned, created, and recorded it in just around 3-5 days. There are some other things that I added to the actual song to further refine and improve it, but for the most part, it was recorded within that period.” Gabba reveals. “It’s almost like a brain fart, unlike “Puzzle,” which was years in the making.”
“Interim” is available on Bandcamp and major streaming platforms.
Watch the music video below: