IV of Spades Make Their Long-Awaited Fabled, Mystical Return With "Aura"

IV of Spades, who rose to superstardom through their unique brand of '70s disco-new-wave pop flair, have made their long-awaited reunion with the melancholic, otherworldly, and emotionally gripping tune "Aura."

The pop-rock outfit consisting of Unique Salonga on lead vocals, Zildjan Benitez on bass and vocals, Blaster Silonga on lead guitar and vocals, and Gabriel "Badjao" de Castro IV, unexpectedly dropped the new single on random late Wednesday afternoon on July 16.

This is a reunion seven years in the making after frontman Salonga had left the group in 2018 to pursue a solo record. Benitez and Silonga followed suit, releasing their own solo records, while de Castro also focused on his own group project outside of the band.

"Aura" is a more lush and understated tune, a departure from the group’s signature sonic influences from funk, glam-rock, alt-rock, and jazz fusion.

Unique, Zild, and Blaster work in harmony through the vocals and the songwriting that evoke a steady emotional reflection of a yearning and dealing with emotional turmoil. The light and airy performance captures the longing to continue loving someone who is gradually drifting away from you.

It is like the boys never left the scene as we hear the track’s refined instrumentation and production through the nostalgia-driven synth leads in the background, gorgeous clean electric and acoustic guitar tones, and Badjao’s tight drum performance that works as the song’s heartbeat.

The song’s chorus, “Tignan natin nang husto (Pagmasdan mo nang maigi), / Ang makulay kong mundo (Mga tao sa paligid), / Kahit minsa'y magulo (Kahit medyo alanganin) / Yayakapin nang buo (Ikaw pa rin ang hahanapin)," highlights the band’s maturity in songwriting, being completely open to pleading for emotional and romantic reciprocity.

"Aura" is also awash with the distinct sonic avenues taken by Unique, Zild, and Blaster as these culminate in a warm embrace of an indie-pop track. The track also seems like a letter to the fans and local music industry that the boys are here to stay and have grown considerably creatively in their time apart.

The four-piece pop funk, alt-rock outfit’s sole studio album Clapclapclap! was put out back in 2019 without their mononymous frontman Unique, but still saw critical acclaim, winning an Awit Award for album of the year in 2020.

“Come Inside of My Heart,” “Bata, Dahan-Dahan,” “In My Prison,” and “Take That Man” were seen as smash hits as the band also explored other styles and genres such as electro pop, pop rock, and psychedelic pop.

Zild took over Unique’s mantle as lead vocalist in the full-length LP, with Blaster also getting more singing parts as he harmonized with Benitez to flesh out the band’s sound after their frontman’s departure.

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The group first gained prominence via their second single “Hey, Barbara!,” where they unabashedly wore their ‘70s influences on their collective sleeve, also expressed in their follow-up single “Where Have You Been My Disco?” These four musicians really embody the "Boogie is my life" mantra they sing about.

IV of Spades’ meteoric rise to the top of the local music industry came in 2018 with their massive hit “Mundo,” which has since garnered hundreds of millions of views and streams on major media platforms.

The band is known for their tight technical ability through their unmistakable musical chemistry built through years of jamming throughout their childhood listening to iconic artists such as ABBA, Tame Impala, and Radiohead, among others.

Zild and Blaster also gained recognition for their exceptional playing after they joined Eat Bulaga’s “Music Hero” talent show in 2016, showcasing their virtuosity and an incredible knack for improvisation.

Their debut single “Ilaw Sa Daan,” released in 2016, showed the band’s creative rawness as the '80s-inspired indie rock track sounds like something out of The 1975’s self-titled 2013 debut album.

What Unique, Zild, Blaster, and Badjao Have Been Up To

Unique was the first to pursue a solo venture with Grandma (2018), which saw acclaim and cemented his capacity for musically ambitious music, which set him apart from his IV of Spades discography.

The LP showcased Salonga’s penchant for tasteful and fearless penwork and musicality through the smash hits contained in the record, such as the bass-driven “Sino,” the muted guitar work and soulful vocals in “Midnight Sky,” and even the introspective folk song “Apoy Ng Kandila” detailing his apprehensions on growing up and leaving his youth.

The groovy chorus-guitar based “OZONE (Itulak Ang Pinto)” from the record also showed the wunderkind’s openness to retelling horrific incidents, such as a 1996 disco tragedy that led to 160 people dying at the disco club in Quezon City bearing the same name as the track.

The IV of Spades frontman has also released two other albums, Pangalan (2020) and Daisy (2023), produced under Callalily frontman Kean Cipriano’s record label O/C Records

Salonga’s prolific solo venture, which drew the public’s ire in 2018 for being seen as premature, is a testament to the 25-year-old being a megastar and prominent fixture in the local indie music circuit.

Zild has also been busy with his own prolific and esoteric solo venture with four records Homework Machine (2020), Huminga (2021), Medisina (2022), and Superpower (2024).

Throughout these projects, Benitez explored '90s alternative rock and synthpop influences and became a hitmaker in his own right with tracks such as “Sinungaling,” “Medisina,” “Kyusi,” “Ibang Planeta, and “Lia.”

In Blaster’s case, he still retained a lot of his love for disco and glam rock sonic choices in his own music in “DISKO FOREVER” and “O KAY GANDA” from his debut album MY KOSMIC ISLAND DISK with his band the Celestial Klowns.

Silonga also dropped his latest record, Last Fool Show, in May this year, which is rife with catchy and fun disco pop and The Beatles-inspired tracks, along with compelling storytelling in his songs like “Kamukha,” “Hayy,” and “Boomerang.”

Since the band’s hiatus after putting out Clapclapclap!, drummer Badjao has also been busy working with the star-studded experimental rock band Party Pace, consisting of de Castro on drums, Chicosci bassist Eco Del Rio, and the legendary Raymund Marasigan of the Eraserheads/ Sandwich and Pedicab on synth samplers.

“Aura” is a sign of the times to come for the local music scene as the returning indie rock juggernauts finally realize their fabled reunion, which we hope to be a generational run of captivating art.