The Ransom Collective recounts first loves in return single ‘Tongue Tied’
More often than not, a hiatus spells the end for bands and groups—whether because of internal disagreements and misalignments, or simply a change in priorities and circumstances in life.
But if they do come back together, this brief separation adds a little something special to their music. It takes on a different form; grown, introspective, and filled with memories and experiences from a life well-lived—and yet, feels familiar and warm to the fans who waited diligently for their return.
Following their last release in 2022, The Ransom Collective returns with “Tongue Tied,” a bossa-infused track that introduces a different perspective to the band’s signature indie folk palette.
”The song itself was written back in 2020, so it’s a sound from an era our fans are familiar with and know from us. It almost feels like an unreleased track of the ‘Traces’ album, but since it’s jazzier, it also feels like a standalone,” says the band in a press release.
‘Tongue Tied’ together
“It started with the line, ‘You walk in the room, and I get nervous,’” shares vocalist and guitarist Kian Ransom.
“I randomly sang the line over some chords we were jamming, and it reminded me of the feelings I had when I was first getting to know my wife. The song started taking shape, with the lyrics describing that ‘tongue-tied’ feeling you get when you’re newly smitten by someone.”
But outside channeling infatuation and butterfly-filled bellies, “Tongue-Tied” followed a journey that would have killed most songs, making it especially meaningful to the band and those who silently waited for them.
“‘Tongue Tied’ actually lived in the studio for more than three years. We recorded parts of it even before the pandemic. We had to shelve it as the band slowed down and some of us moved out of town,” the six-piece band shares. “We started picking production back up remotely, recording from different studios and spaces, then eventually finished it in Manila in late 2025.”
During an online media roundtable, Ransom describes it as the hardest song to finish, not just because of the difference in location and circumstances, but because of how each member grew and changed over the course of its production.
“It changed a lot. Our personal tastes and sounds had kind of changed and evolved as well. We weren’t as tethered or connected to the original indie folk sound we had”
But why keep to the song instead of simply moving on to the next project?
“We slowed down a lot after the pandemic when it came to performing live. But every time we’d do a gig here and there, reconnecting with fans and then being asked if we had any music coming—it reminded us how much our music means to people,” says Ransom.
“We wanted to share this song with the people who supported us, who we knew would appreciate it. We felt that it would have been a waste to just not finish it.”
Ebbs and flows
The Ransom Collective isn’t the first band to go on hiatus only to come back together later. But if there’s one thing we’ve learned from their experiences and testimonies, it’s that music is secondary to life, not the other way around.
You cannot make music without having lived. And when life calls, music can wait. The beauty is that everyone in the band understands this
“Iba-iba ’yung path namin individually. As a band, we also allowed ourselves to experience life outside the almost full-time music that we had been doing for how many years,” says Jermaine Choa Peck, who plays percussion.
“That’s the beauty of releasing this new song now: It’s like going back to those times that we were playing so much as a band, and how we’re now in this part of our lives after everything we’ve been through as a band and individually,” she adds.
“We’re just very supportive of each other’s projects. And when we come together, we’re just picking up where we left off,” says violinist Muriel Gonzales.
