The Sundown: the ‘supergroup’ of Cebu’s music scene

CEBU, Philippines —  A week before The Sundown released their latest single “Car Keys”, the Cebu band performed at the Plus63 Music and Arts Festival last month at the SM Seaside City Complex. While those in the audience were waiting for festival headliners Joji and Kehlani to perform, they were amazed by the band’s pop-rock energy which surely gained them new fans.

“Playing at Plus 63 was a blast! It was our first music fest this year and it was so surreal to play our hearts out on a big stage with a big amazing crowd!” says lead vocalist Aaron Domingo in an interview with The FREEMAN, along with fellow band members, guitarists Vincent Eco and Gino Rosales, drummer Alden Panes, and bassist Luigi Balazo.

These names should be familiar to an avid listener of Cebuano acts, which technically makes The Sundown a “supergroup” in the local music scene.

“Before The Sundown’s existence, each one of us had our own band. Vincent is an aspiring solo artist, Aaron was from The Crisis, Luigi from The Sepia Times, Gino from Mandaue Nights, and I was from Thinking Chair at that time,” Panes explained.

“There was one night when Vincent, Luigi, and Gino went out for a few drinks when the idea came up. We initially thought it was just going to be for fun but we didn’t realize people loved our music.”

Their talents combined show is demonstrated in their debut single “UwU”, which as of this writing has one million Spotify streams since its March 2020 release.

“We feel very grateful for the love and support for the song. It definitely established what kind of sound we wanted because it is the first song that we wrote as a band and we always enjoy playing it live,” says Eco.

“UwU” was released in 2020 when the COVID-19 lockdowns were first implemented. During isolation, it wasn’t uncommon for many to reflect. The single’s visualizer on YouTube features footage of a road trip in a first-person perspective, with lyrics displayed in yellow font color as if you are watching a coming-of-age, road trip movie on Netflix. It evokes nostalgia and matches the lyrics of reminiscing the highs and lows of a relationship.

“Our music is influenced by Bleachers, The Night Game, and The Cure. We’ve gone in that direction because we wanted our songs to be anthemic and full of energy,” says Panes of their upbeat pop-rock sound.

A month before The Sundown released “UwU”, they emerged champion at the San Miguel Wanderbattle 2020 competition. The following month, they were supposed to perform at the Wanderland Music and Arts Festival which was cancelled due to the pandemic. They finally got to play at the Wanderland festival grounds early this March.

“We had an amazing experience at Wanderland, which we probably might consider their best yet. Despite being the first band to perform, the crowd was incredibly supportive and engaging during their set, which made it a more memorable performance,” says The Sundown manager Ellemari Chloe, adding that the band got the chance to meet many of the festival’s acts including Carly Rae Jepsen, Chris Carrabba of Dashboard Confessional, Phoenix, Balming Tiger, UK-based Filipino artist No Rome, Raveena, and Sundrop Garden.

“One of the most unforgettable [memories] was Stephen Day who surprised us inside our tent and even threw a few questions to get to know the band,” added Chloe.

Their Wanderbattle win three years ago and the popularity of their music caught the attention of the music scene in Manila. Balazo says, “I think things really began kicking off for us when we won Wanderbattle. The band really started from a joke but after some time, we saw that there was potential for so much more. I guess we caught the attention of some players in the game because major labels started reaching out to us. Ultimately we decided to sign with Island Records Philippines in 2021.”

Since signing with the Philippine branch of the Universal Music Group label, they’ve released five singles, namely, “Don’t Forget Tonight”, “Come Home to Me”, “Don’t Stop” “Last Dance” and “Car Keys”, the latter being their latest.

“Essentially, ‘Car Keys’ is a crossover of young love at first sight and the irony of fate. Sometimes you find something you didn’t know you needed in the most unlikely of circumstances,” shares Balazo, who co-produced the song with Franciskoe.

“It blows my mind / How did I get this far in life without you, without you / without that killer smile / cause baby you shot me dead / can’t get your face out of my head / So lucky that I lost my car keys”, says the song’s catchy chorus.

The band is mostly releasing singles for now, with no album planned yet. But fans can expect live gigs this year where they will most likely be performing with fellow Cebuano acts.

“To be honest, we are only a slice of the pie,” Balazo continues. “There are a lot of great artists in Cebu that deserve the spotlight. You should come to our live shows!”