Filipino band Never the Strangers has returned with their first new song in four years, Alon, out now on all music streaming platforms. An official music video for the track has also dropped on video streaming platforms.
Alon tells of the band’s emotions of helplessness and longing for freedom during the height of the pandemic.
Turning Heavy Feelings Into Song
“I wanted to write something that embodied the heavy emotions I felt at the time, while in the thick of quarantine,” shares the band’s vocalist and songwriter, Ace Libre. “Alon is also the band’s first single ever to be produced, recorded, mixed, and mastered remotely,” he further explains. “Quarantine prevented us from jamming in a studio together, so we had to make do with our own equipment.”
Even though distance and quarantine requirements proved to be a challenge, the Never the Strangers and Rico Blanco co-produced Alon sees the band make a strong return to the local music industry, creating a piano-driven anthem rooted in alternative rock.
Previously known for their softer, more romantic songs Moving Closer and Bago Mahuli Ang Lahat, Alon takes Never the Strangers in a new musical direction. The track is anthemic, but it also feels moody due to its ever-present percussion, with piano and guitars adding layers to the track and conveying the overwhelming emotions of its lyrics. The band smartly uses baritone backing vocals in certain lines, emphasizing the heavy feelings submerging them.
Surrendering to Alon
While the band is honest about how Alon is borne out of their despondence during the pandemic, they convey the message through water imagery: using rain, waves, and the ocean to illustrate the progression of their feelings.
The verses show the narrative from two different perspectives, with each pre-chorus cleverly connecting the verse’s varying perspectives and paves for a different interpretation of the chorus.
The first verse shows the songwriter longing for the freedom that he feels when he’s by the ocean, as he sings, “Dalhin mo ‘ko sa tabing-dagat, sundin bakas ng mga sugat.”
Instead of the ocean, the pre-chorus confirms that rain instead has come. Still, the writer finds freedom in the loudness of the rain, as it masks the sound of his pain (“Pagpatak ng ulang tikatik, buhusan panimdim at galit”).
The song dives deep into how he sees the ocean, portraying it not just as a symbol of freedom but also as a refuge to drown sorrows. The lyrics express a plea to the ocean to liberate the soul, amidst verses that reveal a surrendering to emotions and a desire to embrace vulnerability. The chorus resonates with all lovers of water, asking the waves to take them wherever they wish in exchange for their heart. In the song’s bridge, the band has fully conceded to their feelings, which gives them the freedom that they long for: “sawa na’ng magkunwari, hubarin ang maskara, bawiin ang sarili at tuluyang mawala.” The song encapsulates a journey of emotional release and acceptance, anchored by the metaphorical power of the sea.
It might feel like they’re losing themselves as they shed their masks and pretensions, but that’s the price of freedom.
“My inspiration revolves around how I regard the manifestations of water in nature, and my awareness of my deteriorating mental health while the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) was in effect,” Ace explains the use of water as a metaphor for freedom.
“I romanticize water because it can feel so much larger than life. When rain sprinkles down, a feeling of renewal dawns on me. The sheer size of an ocean, with its moody waves, makes me keenly aware of how finite and powerless I am. I merged these ideas purely on instinct. No conscious calculations were made; I let my heart pull me to its center of gravity, and it led me down a path paved with thoughts of surrender and freedom. I felt at home envisioning myself one with the waves, away from the pain of an ailing world.”
For him, the line “Puso ko’y iyong angkinin kapalit ng bituin” is a personal favorite. “I like it because it expresses the height of surrender and sacrifice in order to get something one truly wants. How great is your desire? What price are you willing to pay?”
Alon’s music video also shows the same elements as its lyrics. The video begins in greyscale, with the band performing against barren backdrops and scenes of water. Meanwhile, a glowing door on the screen catches one’s eye, but the band pays it no mind.
Colors bleed into the video by the second verse, as the band performs the song against blooming backgrounds. They then walk into the door, as the video ends with warm colors of flowers and sunsets, a contrast to the dullness shown in its beginning.
“The music video is stuffed with imagery that we consider to be poetic, which aligns with the themes that pervade Alon,” details the band. “Its evolving color palette catches the eye. The wide shots in nature envelop, overpower, and embrace. The lights, shadows, and portals linking universes intrigue.”
Directed by Gio Puyat with Balcony Prime, the band shares that they aimed to commit the intangible on a visual medium.
Despite the music video’s moody theme, the band shares a lighthearted anecdote during its shooting: “when we were shooting the scenes with the mirror on the shore, someone joked that it looked like we were having a prenuptial photoshoot. It was just the two of us on camera, in suits and slacks, taking turns holding a flower! It was a light moment in an evening filled with urgent work.”
New Music and Shows to Look Forward To
Beyond the track’s heavy themes and fun stories from the video’s behind the scenes, the band takes time to address their fans who have been waiting a long time for a new release.
“First, we would like to apologize for keeping you all waiting. We had been promising new music for each of the last four years. Second, we would like to express our gratitude for your patience. Thanks for keeping us going. We did it. We’re finally here with a new song. We hope it fills a void in your heart.”
Now that they’re back, fans of Never the Strangers have more to look forward to.
“We plan to be more present in your lives for the rest of the year, which means more shows, and more music!”
Listen to Alon, out now on all music streaming platforms:
Follow Never the Strangers on their social media accounts to stay updated on their future releases:
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