‘Just quiet guys making loud noises’
It is said that music engages the entire brain—the left side processes lyrics and rhythm, while the right handles melodies and the instruments. And for the typical listener, vocals and instrumentals go hand in hand, with instrumental or acapella-only versions coming out in special editions or extended releases.
Despite appealing to a niche audience rather than the possibility of a mainstream following, Shaw, a Manila-based four-piece instrumental rock band, believes that songs can stand on their own without words.
Formed in 2015, the band began as a trio with their debut EP “Learning to Ride a Bike” in 2018. “Finding a vocalist wasn’t easy—we had a small circle of friends, so we just decided not to have one. Eventually, it made sense because the lyrics felt a bit limiting for me,” says bassist JC Jamoralin during our interview.
Rounding out the rest of Shaw are Ian Somera and Kevin Arellano on guitar, along with Dino Solaña on the drums.
The band just released their debut album, “Book of Patterns,” at a launch last Aug. 16 at 1F Projects in Makati. “We’ve worked on this album for nearly six years, with delays from the pandemic and major life changes, so releasing it and having people listen feels cathartic and validating,” says Solaña.
Their ongoing country-wide tour saw them perform at Canto Bogchi, Baguio, and 67 Coffee, La Union. They are also scheduled to make appearances in Lucena, Sorsogon, and Cebu later this year. Ahead of these, the band joined us for a conversation on the latest album, their decade-long journey together, and how instrumental music can be just as impactful even without vocals.
What does it mean to finally release your debut full-length album?
JC Jamoralin (JJ): It feels like closing a chapter that’s been almost a decade in the making. We’ve carried these songs through different versions of ourselves, and releasing “Book of Patterns” feels like we’re finally sharing that journey with everyone else.
Ian Somera (IS): As JC mentioned, it felt like closing a chapter on this version of ourselves when we started writing the songs in 2018 and 2019. Honestly, it feels really great to finally share with everyone the sound that we’ve crafted for close to seven years—it’s sharing our identity as a band.
Kevin Arellano (KA): I would say that there is a sense of relief and achievement, as we had been working hard, and this album is a product of all our efforts over the past few years together. But there is also a realization that the launch and release of the album is just another step toward wherever we are heading.
What challenges did you face throughout your time together?
JJ: Life happened. People moved, priorities shifted, we had losses, and we had to slow down a few times. The hardest part was just keeping the reason why we still play. When everyone’s busy with work or personal stuff, it’s easy for playing in a band to feel like just a hobby.
IS: Definitely the unexpected changes—two of our members had to relocate for a time, and we were not sure how to proceed with finalizing the album, especially when it was during the pandemic. We’ve written probably three-fourths of the album before the pandemic happened, so it really was a sudden break.
KA: Early on in our songwriting process, much of our material came from organic or on-the-spot jamming. The pandemic pretty much ended that approach, and we’ve had to adapt to creating rough drafts individually. It’s hard when you don’t have real-time feedback.
What is “Book of Patterns” at its core?
JJ: It’s about the cycles we all go through. Loss, growth, moving from one place to another, friendships, and even the routines that shape us. Those patterns keep showing up in different ways, and the album became our way of processing them.
Why go full instrumental when you can always find a vocalist?
JJ: At that time, I was all out on experimenting with music, hoping to be a little unconventional or unique. And the more we leaned into it, the more we realized the songs could stand on their own without words
IS: During the time we formed Shaw, I was already experimenting with ambient music, and it just kind of clicked. Going instrumental was the best choice. There are so many bands that use the voice as the one translating emotion in their music because you can hear and understand the words, but it’s very rare (and probably a bit more difficult) to convey that emotion from music alone.
What makes the process of making an instrumental album different from any other album?
JJ: You don’t have lyrics to carry the story, so everything else has to do the work. Every note, every shift in dynamics, has to say something. We spend a lot of time making sure the riffs and the layers carry that weight. It’s harder in a way, but it also makes the music more open.
IS: You have to be more deliberate and intentional with how you write things. A melody or line should carry the same weight as it would normally be sung. So, it’s definitely always a gamble for us, as not all listeners are accustomed to just going full instrumental.
How do you want Shaw to be introduced—or known as?
KA: We can always say “Hi, we’re Shaw, wala kaming lyrics” or something similar and get a chuckle from people. But really, we’re just quiet guys making loud noises, and music is our language above anything else.
