Check out These Bewitching fitterkarma Tunes Before They Open for Men I Trust Next Month

Surging Filipino alternative/art-rock band fitterkarma will be bringing their macabre, folklore-inspired music to Canadian dream pop band Men I Trust's return to Manila as an opening act.

This is fresh off the band's meteoric rise in the local music industry thanks to the piping hot success of their smash hit "Pag-Ibig ay Kanibalismo II."

In the past year, the track has seen persistent viral attention due to its tongue-in-cheek songwriting, its infectious hook, and a simultaneously playful and dark ASMR music video.

ALSO READ:

fitterkarma Shows Us That it Literally Takes Guts to Be in Love

This is Your Men I Trust Starter Pack Before Their Manila Show on Feb 1

A deep dive into their discography, which actually goes all the way back to 2019, shows an intriguing sonic evolution as they develop their blues/folklore artistic choices. fitterkarma's sound is a shoo-in for the early 2000s Filipino rock scene despite their unique preference toward the darker imagery.

Think of acts like Kitchie Nadal, Typecast, Chicosci, among other OPM staples. With the departure of former vocalist Addy Pantig (who sings on the viral track Pag-Ibig ay Kanibalismo II), the art-rock band is still set to release a new single called "Aswang" sa Manila on Valentine's Day.

Below are some of our picks from the rising outfit before they set the stage for the Karpos Live Men I Trust Manila Equus Tour leg on Feb. 1.

A bluesy-folk track from their 2022 EP pakinggan mo, this is the type of tune that will suck you intoa vortex of whatever bleak, morbid relationship and world the artist spins around you. Even early on in their discography and in tracks like this, you already hear the spooky, mystical, and almost verging on occultist themes that they develop in recent cuts like "Sumpa." Though, the track doesn't really have the cutesy songwriting like the polarizing "kimi lang bawal yun" from their smash hit "Pag-Ibig ay Kanibalismo II."

Another song that has also been one of the band's fan favorites, racking up more than 20 million streams in the wake of the explosion that was the gutsy cannibalism love song. It is yet another spiritually-tinged love song, or even a religious song if you want to look at it in that lens, on a fixation on another person bordering on obsession mistaken for devotion for someone.

This one is giving us a lot of imagery typical of the emo/pop-punk tracks from the early 2000s with a recurring drum line reminiscent of stuff from My Chemical Romance (a band we are pretty sure fitterkarma digs). "Kalapastangan" literally translates to blasphemy and the song's sonic signature does kinda run like a Christian rock song, if you listen to the continuous guitar tone and drum build-ups. The track also features a bunch of eerie scrambled vocal tracks that do add a bit of variety to the track.

I'm guessing you guys didn't even know a part 1 existed, but it does seem to be much darker both sonically and conceptually compared to the much more popular second part. "Pag-Ibig ay Kanibalismo I" still has that same acoustic chord progression for the intro, but with vocal work from male vocalist and guitarist Joao de Leon compared to the more mellow vocals from their former vocalist. Though, it doesn't really have the same blend of self-awareness and replayability when put up against its more recognizable second parter, but is a much grittier track for those who seek a heavier sound from the group. The song closes on mini death-rattles that could start moshpits at a local gig near you.

This is one of our favorites from fitterkarma and is a sign of growth in cohesive songwriting and delivering on this "Voodoo doll love" aesthetic they're going for. This is their first track post Kanibalismo Part II, which leans into a delusional devotion backed by just an acoustic guitar, the occasional electric guitar slide lead, and ambient discordant piano stabs. We find that this track is a more compelling execution of what they were going for in "Kalapastangan," with a hypnotizing hook to cap off one of their best songs in their discography. If "Kalapastangan" was the band flirting with blasphemy, "Sumpa" is them fully committing the sin.

READ MORE:

This is Your Men I Trust Starter Pack Before Their Manila Show on Feb 1

Amid Crazy Weather, Faye Webster Dazzles Manila With Dreamy Tunes

These are the 10 Best Local Albums and EPs of 2025

No Skips: A Track-By-Track Review of IV of Spades' Comeback Album Andalucia