The future is here and now.
And that’s not just fancy wordplay, as fans of local heavy music will attest after the explosive debut single “In My Head” by modern hard rock group HERE+NOW was recently unleashed on the unsuspecting public. Equal parts driving riffs, fiery rhythms, thundering low end and irresistibly melodic vocals, the band – comprised of vocalist Paco Santos, guitarists Patrick Poblador and Roy Sison, bassist James Magallanes, and drummer Franco Aguila – has made what is possibly the best first impression in a long time.
In fact, the story behind the band couldn’t be any simpler: formed towards the end of the worldwide pandemic, Here+Now’s journey began when vocalist/songwriter Paco reached out to Pat to form a group with the simple aim to record and release new, original music after a long hiatus from the local music scene. Soon after, both musicians reached out online in search of like-minded individuals and ultimately recruited and met up with Roy, James, and Franco. Though the collective all came from different bands, they could already tell that there was an undeniable musical chemistry amongst themselves.
“We knew we wanted the music to be heavy and aggressive,” shares Pat, “but honestly, this was not the sound we originally expected to make – we simply decided to go with the flow, and because we allowed our musical tastes and influences to naturally align, we ended up with a sound and product we knew we were happy with, first and foremost.”
And in no time, the members were all furiously capturing unfiltered ideas at home, which were then finalized at Paco’s home studio. By the start of 2023, the band was able to release the single on all digital music platforms, and by the end of March this year, a music video that effectively captured both the mood and intensity of Here+Now’s music.
Directed by Jasper Lawan, the MV caught the attention of local peers, established musicians, pundits, and afficionados of the genre from various corners of the globe, even being featured and voted as one of the most requested videos on a popular Twitch vlogger’s channel in the United States, while garnering praise from fans in Mexico, Chile and Germany. Truly an impressive feat, considering the fact that heavy music has taken the backseat of sorts as far as mainstream audiences are concerned.
And the proverbial ball doesn’t stop there, as the band recently announced on their social media pages that they will be releasing their second single “Runaway” today, which has their continuously growing fan base excited.
It’s safe to say that we all just might be listening to the rise of the heavy music once again and are lucky enough to be witnessing it first-hand. So keep your eyes – and ears – tuned-in, because this is definitely something you don’t want to miss – right here and now.
STREAM TRACK HERE
DOWNLOAD ASSETS HERE
WATCH LYRIC VIDEO HERE
ADVT
