Pastilan Dong!

Pastilan Dong! is a 3-man noise-rock/shoegaze/­psychedelic/(leaning towards) slacker rock band from Manila, but the band's name was derived from a Bisayan expression. Founded in 2013, Pastilan Dong! started with 4 members, consisting of Kaloy Olavides on guitar and vocals, Pow Martinez on guitar, Stanley Ruiz on bass and Vin Zafra on drums. The band went on a short state of hiatus but in 2017, Rio Vargas of Shoulder State took over bass duties for the band together with Kaloy and Vin. I can say if you're a fan of most 90's bands (which I am), you can definitely hear evocative influences. I've watched them live multiple times and my slam-dancing skills improved as hell because of this band. Pastilan Dong! is a living proof that extremely loud, distortion-driven indie rock bands still have a place in the current musical landscape mostly dominated by dreary, boring bands deemed to be cool by trend-chasing hipsters who play it way too safe with their preferences.

In 2014, the band released their self-titled debut album and until now "Unya" is still one of my favorite songs from the band. You would notice from this album how the band's songwriting structure is different from the underground bands we usually listen to. Their sophomore album Every Step Is Backward was released in 2015 and it took me on a whole journey of chaotic-noise but it left me in a calm state. "More of You" and "Tantrum" are my favorite songs from this release. The voice and guitar riffs of Kaloy (from Grows, Kapitan Kulam and Kagwang-- I think Sonic Youth is really a big influence to Kaloy, just listening to Kagwang and Pastilan Dong! it really made a mark) made this band a standout from the rest. It's 2018 and I can't compare any local acts as good as Pastilan Dong!, may it be played through my headphones or in a live performance. Pastilan Dong! keeps on ripping walls of noise that goes with the flow of being borderline catchy and strange. With their 3rd album on the works, this band never fails to amaze me. There's an inside joke around my friends from the scene when someone will watch Pastilan Dong! for the first time, our automatic response is, "Ready na ba tainga mo sa Pastilan Dong!?" (Translates: Are your ears ready for Pastilan Dong!?)

[entry written by Protagonist]

Self-Titled (2014)

Every Step is Backward (2015)