In Sandwich's New EP No Goodbyes, There's a Bit of Hall & Oates, Michael Jackson, and Tame Impala

By next year, 2023, seminal alternative-rock band Sandwich will be celebrating their silver anniversary. But that celebration is still up in the air for some members as the pandemic is still not quite done in the country. Live gigs are coming back, though, and several changes have been made to help artists sustain themselves after the nearly two-year lockdown. 

The release format, whether a band has conceived material in just a matter of five to 10 songs, is a matter of choice. Sandwich was supposed to embark on a seasonal trip in the audio format, but those plans were halted due to the COVID-19 outbreak. 

“No Goodbyes” is an EP loaded with influences straight from Raymund Marasigan, Myrene Academia, Mike Dizon, Diego Castillo, and Mong Alcaraz’s playbook. Their eclectic tastes have meshed together electronica, blue-eyed soul, and indie rock in one compact release. You could say that this is a return to form of sorts for the band, but loyal fans see it as an alternate route to where they began.  

The EP was recorded in December 2019 and was supposed to be split into two, both of which are connected to each other. One was meant for summer mornings and the other for cold breezy afternoons. It’s rare to hear from the band base their music through the seasons, but the first was recorded by the beach and the other supposedly in Baguio City, according to frontman Marasigan. 

With all the recordings of the EP living in the backburner during various community quarantines, Sandwich have been buying time, surviving by learning new habits and re-experiencing themselves through various media and dilemmas, all the while learning new tricks and hobbies that helped keep every member sane. 

Rhythm guitarist Castillo succinctly described the feeling of being a father during the pandemic. “Despite all the craziness, [yung] idea na yung generally when you say na yung lolo’t lola o yung parents ko sana matuturuan kame, wala, on the fly ‘to” he says. 

Bassist Academia, meanwhile, says she simply became a fan of K-pop groups over time alongside her bandmates as well as other bands under management label Soupstar. 

“I took a deep dive in BTS,” she smiled. “And that’s what’s keeping me afloat.”

As for recording the newer songs during the earlier phases of the lockdown, all of the members had no choice but to find ways to record the songs online. But even with the absence of physical communication and group synergy, Sandwich was able to make it work somehow. 

“We just had to channel it through a different way because, obviously, we couldn’t do face-to-face with each other,” Academia explains. “So we had to learn new things, doing it online, passing files around, and recording through Zoom this way. Nagamit namin yung technology naman to learn new ways of getting together and making music.” 

“Magastos sa test!” Alcaraz laughs. “The first chance we got to get together and rehearse, pero wala, new normal, test ka nang test bawat punta. But even that, unti-unti ko nakalimutan kase two years ago na yan eh, iba na kase yung last year, iba yung ganap now.” 

“The pandemic allowed us to listen to more things than we normally listen to,” Marasigan says. “We also have more time to work on our own recording studios so I think it helped us survive in the pandemic. Music definitely helped us survive the pandemic.” 

As two years went on, the band still found ways to make their sound new again. It's made evident in the new EP. No Goodbyes contains songs with influences of electronica, ambient movements made out of laptops and digital audio softwares mixed with their classic take on analog rockisms spread throughout the tracks. But experimenting through recording isn’t enough; it doesn’t cut through with the ambition they’re striving for. This is far from anything that’s close to their classics like “Sugod,” “Kagulo,” “Selos,” and “Butterfly Carnival.” Castillo shared information that will be unveiled in the coming weeks that will excite loyal and new fans. 

“Meron na kaming bagong gimik na hindi ko masasabi ngayon, na parang surprise set,” he says. “[It’ll be a] different way of performing some other Sandwich set. Si Rayms yung nag-mastermind, fina-fine tune lang namin so yun yung gusto namin i-unveil as well.” 

Marasigan thought of several influences in mind but one of the inspirations he was able to pick up was Diego Mapa’s side project, Tarsius, which helped become the main key for the newer songs. 

“When we took a break, parang Tarsius had a new song,” Marasigan says. “A lot of the songs that Diego [Mapa] was playing in his sets, I think it was Tarsius and Soul Wax.” 

Castillo added that they made sure that the band’s influences were still chronological. But as the pandemic woes started to kick in, they were able to take note of several bands and throwbacks as they remember all the keys for “No Goodbyes.” 

“Kase yung ‘Buhol-Buhol’ parang tribute to Pinoy rock,” he says. 

Shortly after briefly describing the first track, all the members went on a back-and-forth discussion about what track influenced the other, then went track-by-track by mouthing the guitar riffs enthusiastically, ranging from Michael Jackson to Tame Impala to Spoon. Surprisingly, “You Make My Dreams Come True” by Hall & Oates was one of the main inspirations, to which Alacaraz interjects, “It doesn’t have to be indie.” 

“No Goodbyes” is now available to stream on Spotify.