New Pupil album ‘Zilch’ set for January 2015 release
Here’s a verbal preview
“Di ko rin alam e…”
Perpetually cheery Pupil drummer Wendell Garcia laughs as he freshens up in Raffles Hotel’s Long Bar commode. The new Pupil album “Zilch” is due for release in January 2015 and the band invited a handful of journalists for a verbal preview.
They also announced their participation in Singapore’s Sundown Festival 2014 on November 22 in which they will represent the country.
Chatting in the CR
The mood is casual, the food sumptuous and Garcia being asked about the album title in the bathroom is just a natural carryover: he will chat anywhere.
He dries his hands and muses, “Back to zero yung approach namin for this album… zilch…”
He smiles, still stoked and clearly proud about the band he joined seven years ago. He still has a lot of session work on the side from Wally Gonzalez to Ryan Cayabyab, willing and able to play any genre on his drum kit.
Playing with the best
Ely Buendia saw it fit to explore Garcia’s vocabulary on “Zilch” and consequently expanded Pupil’s as well. “This guy has played with the best,” he says before half-jokingly pointing to himself: “And he’s still playing with the best.”
Garcia is verbose and jocose, the perfect foil to Buendia’s natural cool and dry humor.
They offer most of the expositions during the press lunch, the mutual respect almost tactile.
Mixes done
Guitarist Jerome Velasco chimes in every so often.
Bassist Dok Sergio, normally militant about media matters, is happily distracted by his son playing around the table.
Sergio is also probably quite relieved with mixes finally finished and confirmed by Velasco mere hours before lunch.
‘Madali magsawa’
He was adamant about finishing it by October when the first single and video “Out of Control" was launched in late July ( story here).
Its hard rock riffs expanded their sound and pleasantly surprised fans but the band insists it does not necessarily map out the entire tonal or timbral arc of “Zilch.”
Buendia explains, “Napansin ko sa amin, madali kaming magsawa sa isang concept…”
Previously unheard-of effects
Garcia agrees, “Isang album, isang tunog lang… hinde. Iba-iba ang mood ng tao e.”
Buendia emphasizes, “Peeero! We made it a point this time to find the sound we are comfortable with.”
Velasco says they employed fuzzboxes, chorus effects and other guitar sounds previously unheard in Pupil’s palette. He says he went full-on “shoegaze” in spots.
A bit of The Cult and, yep, Led Zep
Garcia casually mentions that one of the songs reminded him of 80s goth-turned-hard-rock band The Cult.
And while Led Zeppelin may not be a band one would normally associate with Buendia, Pupil aimed for a big John Bonham drum sound.
Just as his other regularly active band The Oktaves explores his roots, Ely says that the new Pupil album addresses that as well, only from a different era and area.
Not just the Ely show
This is not to say that Buendia ran the show entirely. It’s an easy assumption to make on the surface, but never the OP in Pupil’s history.
Garcia assures that “Zilch” is, as Velasco succinctly put it, a band album.
“Chong, lahat ng ideas from any of the members are welcome. Lahat ine-entertain, sinusubukan. Walang ‘hindi pwede.’ Ang saya!”
For more information on the 2014 Sundown Festival in Singapore, check out their website.
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