Party Pace is the new rock band to grace the local music scene, and they’re more than ready to make a mark with their single “Sensitive Sun.”
Released onto streaming platforms on March 25, “Sensitive Sun” gives listeners a soundtrack to their blissful beach escapades or just a relaxing stroll in the park with its amplified rhythmic instrumentals.
“Sensitive Sun” is the debut track of “Filipino experimental rock band” Party Pace—composed of drummer Badjao de Castro (IV of Spades), bassist Eco Del Rio (Chicosci, Jejaview), guitarist John Apura, and Raymund Marasigan (Sandwich, Pedicab) who’s on samplers and synths—who was formed through their friendship and shared passion for cycling and music.
Speaking exclusively with POP!, Del Rio shared that two elements have played important roles in creating “Sensitive Sun”: nature and the outdoors.
“These two have been our solid foundation [in creating “Sensitive Sun”],” said Del Rio. “[It’s also] where we pull our inspiration from when we write. We usually hang outdoors so sometimes [the] concepts of our songs start there.”
While “Sensitive Sun” gives off a vibe that’s perfect for hanging out at the beach or surfing through the waves, Del Rio said that they also wish to connect with other people who are “looking for new ways to listen and make music” through their single.
“As much as we’d want to simply provide a soundtrack to the ‘cruisers of life,’ we’d also want to connect to the people that are always looking for new ways to listen and make music,” he said. “We’d like to think that our music is easy to digest, [even if it’s mixed] with weirder elements.”
Del Rio added that they also hope their listeners realize that the weirder the elements incorporated into their music are, the better the sound is—a mantra that Party Pace has adopted.
“In Party Pace, you’d always hear the line: ‘The weirder, the better,’” Del Rio shared. “You can say that you’ve heard the music before, but when you listen to it more closely, you’d find yourself saying that it’s possible to do it.”
Describing themselves as the “accidental band,” Party Pace saw its origin in 2021 when Del Rio was invited for a gig in La Union. At the time, Apura was set to play in the same show for a different band, so they thought of inviting de Castro and Marasigan to gather the gang together for a vacation.
But what started as a supposed vacation of four friends then turned into an impromptu gig.
“Back then, we weren’t even sure what we’re going to play,” Del Rio recalled. “Everyone [in the band] is just game to travel and play.”
This particular moment was a defining moment for Party Pace as this marked the day when they became an official band.
Even though everyone in the band came from different musical backgrounds, styles, and genres, Del Rio shared that the creative process of making music is easy.
“Usually, when we hang out, at least one person would start playing an instrument, and then one or two [of us] follow until we find ourselves jamming and saying, ‘This is already a song.’ After that, we’d send a video to Raymund [Marasigan],” Del Rio said.
“He’d then ask us when we are all free to record the demo and from there, we move forward with it. It’s always that easy. If the demo sticks, we have a song. If we find ourselves doubting [the demo], we move on,” he continued.
Del Rio then went on to explain that when the four of them hang out together, they get easily inspired because of their shared passion for music. “Everyone always had these neverending weird ideas, and it would suck to put them all to waste. So, as soon as we think of something, we immediately go to the studio,” he shared.
Other than their shared creative process, their past friendship and rapport have also made their job much easier as they all have the same goal of making music, as per Del Rio.
“The hunger to create and improve has always been there [and] that’s what fuels us,” Del Rio said. “As musicians, nothing has changed; we just want to create and play music. Whatever recognition we may receive throughout our musical career or journey, those are just a bonus to what we’re doing.”
With Party Pace currently signed with Music Colony Records, Del Rio assured that listeners and fans of the band can expect them to be more experimental with the sound of their music, and for new songs to be released soon.
“You can expect us to be more experimental with our sound [and] new songs are always on the way. Party Pace lang sa lahat,” Del Rio said.
You can listen to “Sensitive Sun” here and watch the official music video below:
