IV of Spades and the little things that matter
It’s 2018, and a quartet of college-aged musicians took the local music scene by storm. Clad in 70s-inspired outfits and with songs catchy enough to bring back disco, they dominated the radio waves and were set to be the new kings of OPM. From the outside looking in, the sky was the limit for this new band.
But after an untimely departure, and an eventual disbandment—all in the span of a few years—IV of Spades seemed to have ended just as soon as they had started. It was a golden age never to be realized. Or so it seemed.
No longer a “what if”
From disbanded British boy bands to Korean girl groups missing a beloved member, there’s always that “what-if”—a hope clinging to an eventual reunion—that mostly never happens. But with the release of “Aura” earlier this year to the arrival of their return album, “Andalucia,” IV of Spades will no longer be a “what if.” They’ve become a reinvigorated band, no longer boxed in to the confines of a singular genre, equipped with learnings that only come with time and maturity.
Ahead of the release of “Andalucia,” we caught up with Unique, Zild, Blaster, and Badjao in an early listening party for their newly released album. There, the quartet talked about the journey to the reunion and what’s changed since their last time together.
If anything, the band still has that chemistry and dynamic that made them such beloved figures back then—not to mention, music that simply entrances despite the pivot to a new sound. The difference? It’s no longer about just getting along together. Instead, it’s about understanding how to navigate each other when things aren’t going so well.
It’s the little things. IV of Spades just had to learn it the hard way.
All roads lead back to IV of Spades
As soloists, each IV of Spades member was granted the freedom to explore and experiment far beyond what they could do under the band and the genre they’ve become synonymous with: Unique and his slow-paced alternative sound, Zild and his Pinoy-pop-rock fusion, Blaster and his penchant for experimentation, and Badjao with the instrumental-only band Party Pace.
Coming back as a group this time around, Unique, Zild, Blaster, and Badjao weren’t just components made to fit together anymore—instead, they were fully realized artists, their own person, each with their own identity and sound.
For some, this may be a recipe for disaster, comprised of clashing egos and differing approaches. Even Blaster admits he feared that very possibility: “Akala ko nga nung una mas mahirap kasi baka malaki na yung mga ego namin. Pero hindi—mas tumaas yung mutual respect namin sa isa’t isa.”
If anything, that time apart allowed each of them to mature as artists and as people. “Lalong dumali yung dynamic namin dahil nakapag-explore kami. Nawala na yung urge na kailangan i-prove yung individuality. Wala nang kailangan i-prove sa isa’t isa,” Blaster adds.
Like nothing changed, though it did for the better
When it came to making “Andalucia” and working together again inside the studio, the experience for IV of Spades was familiar yet refreshing.
“Parang lang kami may ginagawa na school project,” says Blaster. “Nagulat din kami na ang comfortable na namin sa isa’t isa—siguro dahil din before kami nag record, nagkikita na kami before the scenes before kami nagdecide na gawin yung album,” he added, highlighting the importance of fixing their relationship as a band before doing the album.
“We needed to prioritize ourselves and our relationship first before working on a new project, while we weren’t okay. It would’ve felt meaningless if we hadn’t fixed our bond before returning to making music,” the group says in a separate press release.
After all, with “Andalucia” including themes of friendship, it would’ve been hypocritical had they gone out with the album without at least getting on better terms with one another.
A band fit for the stage
Since announcing their official reunion, IV of Spades has been subjected to a reception that almost feels as if no time has passed, and a fan base that is just as dedicated to them now as they were before.
“Sobrang grateful as in never namin na take for granted yung mga naghintay, nagsupport, at na-excite for us. Pasasalamat lang talaga. Thank you, guys,” says Zild as we wrapped up the interviews during the early “Andalucia” listening party.
Without necessarily giving shade, the band isn’t exactly the best at giving interviews. There’s nothing wrong with that. After all, they’re frankly shy introverts who’re really good with their instruments. If anything, it’s simply indicative of how big their gratitude is.
If Zild and the rest of the band can say that, what more on a stage where they can truly feel at ease? There, you can be sure that their music will do the talking.
IV of Spades is truly back, and we’re here for it.
