Orange & Lemons are back and they’ve reinvented themselves from head to toe; moving on from the jangly telecaster to the orchestral rondalla. The boys of Bulacan are now wearing tailored barong outfits, suiting themselves up for a formal date with their respective muses under the umbrella of traditional music. 

Also read: The Reformation of Orange & Lemons 

The band–Clem Castro, Ace & JM Del Mundo and Jared Neron–continue their journey to kundiman with the launch of their latest album La Bulaqueña. It’s their first full-length album after Moonlane Gardens, which was released 15 years ago under a major label.  

Today, they’re an all-independent band, “DIY all the way” as Castro, the frontman, stated in their album presser. Moments after premiering a couple tracks, and pre-recorded live performances featuring a soprano singer and a music video, the band said they were ecstatic to be back again. From being self-aware anglophiles that take inspiration from British indie bands like XTC, The Pale Fountains, and Orange Juice, the outfit is leaning more into modern kundiman as they launch their first ever all-Tagalog album. 

Working with Bulacan cultural associations for an upcoming tour around Europe and the United States, Castro is confident that the album will appeal to a mixed set of listeners from all walks of life. 

“Siyempre yung mga diehard fans namin, I think they will [appreciate] this as well. We don’t know with the millennials, there’s only one way to find out,” he said with a smile.

When asked about what fans will expect in the new album, bassist JM Del Mundo reiterated that the new album is “tunog luma para sa bagong henerasyon.” Meanwhile, keyboardist Nerona, felt humbled by the process. “It’s my first time [working with] Orange & Lemons,” he said. “In fact it’s a very different genre from where I came from. It’s a very exciting album.”   

Castro defines their new sound as some sort of a refresher, a “crucial turning point” for the band, highlighting the conscious effort of code switching to Tagalog, all the while maintaining The Smiths-esque charm in their music. 

“Wala kaming takot, mas takot ako if we are not ourselves when making music.”

When asked about whether or not the band should worry about radio airplay, Castro confidently states: “At our age, andun na kami sa point na we don’t have anything to prove. We don't have to subscribe to the trend. Kumbaga matatanda na kami. We’re leaving that to the young guns, for musical trends for every decade. 

“[For us], we feel like we're newcomers ulit,” he added. “We don't need to do that. Wala kaming takot, mas takot ako if we are not ourselves when making music. [It will make us] lose our identity if we go for radio airplay or another hit song. We've been there and done that.”

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>pOrange and Lemons reformed in 2017 after online speculations that they were releasing new music as a trio. A couple years since then, it feels like they’ve never lost their vision of bringing past musical trends back to life after a decade of pursuing their own projects. Castro mentioned that their album launch concert—happening at the Teatrino Theater in Greenhills, San Juan City on April 29—will feature a family of Rondalla players and reminded fans and new listeners that his late father was a Rondalla instructor. >p“Isang challenge with heritage is research,” he says. “For the first track “La Bulaqueña,” we created a song that is an allusion to the Juan Luna painting,” citing that his inspiration prompted him to create the concept of the entire new album from then on. >p“It’s our party and we’ll cry if we want to”>h1 >p“It feels great to be back on track. Actually we are already plotting several albums na,” Castro said, excitement evident in his voice when asked about releasing another album after 15 years. And, if things go their way, the band might release another album catered to international audiences, mentioning the Eraserheads’ Aloha Milkyway. Sometime throughout the discussion, the band also recalled an online comment from a Kundiman purist calling the band out for allegedly bastardizing a cover of a popular traditional song. But De Guzman responded that “you cannot please everybody.” Eventually, the band said they’ve embraced the idea of criticism, especially when they tread the age-old tradition of Kundiman songs. >pDescribing their growth as a band, Castro says with a laugh: “Number one: hindi na kami nag-aaway ngayon. Mas healthy yung collaborative process.” The frontman and chief songwriter of the group also highlighted their maturity, accepting the changes that the band has to go through, especially with lineup changes. >p“We’re not better as live musicians, ganon pa rin,” he says, “But we think we’re better now as studio sessions, as producers of our music. So I think yun na yun yung major difference. Before kasi may producer kami; somebody else would call the shots in terms of production. Ngayon, kami na yun eh. We own the masters, we own the edition. We call the shots. It’s our party and we’ll cry if we want to.”  >pOrange & Lemons’ 4th album “La Bulaqueña” will be released in streaming services everywhere on Friday, April 8, 2022. You can reserve tickets to the upcoming Orange & Lemons “La Bulaqueña” album launch concert at the Teatrino Theater here. >p