Tide/Edit

The local music scene has sprouted numerous independent bands, spanning a wide range of sound and musical style that challenge the norms, creating and experimenting with music beyond conventions. One of them is Manila-based instrumental rock band tide/edit, whose sonic landscape mainly stems from a blend of post-rock and math rock sensibilities – dynamically complex rhythms popularized mostly by Asian bands such as Japanese band ‘toe’ and Taiwan’s ‘Elephant Gym’, among others.

Formed in 2011, with a couple of songs and demos on hand, Clarence Garcia (guitars) and Jawin Pagaduan (drums), sought for potential bandmates online, eventually recruiting Noe Rubio (bass), and finally Nelson Villamayor (guitars). It was in 2012 when they debuted “Backpack” – a track off their first EP, IDEAS. Online music sites picked it up, which soon gained traction. The band launched the EP, produced by Tony Rago (LIFE2short Productions) on August 31, 2012. IDEAS garnered accolades from online music sites, with Vandals On The Wall citing that the EP “catapults you into the alternate side of consciousness… maintaining the element of passion where their genre roots from, but kept it short, allowing you to catch your breath and bask in the afterglow of each track.” IDEAS was among online local music publication Vandals On The Wall’s ‘Most Anticipated Filipino Releases 2012’ and local music magazines PULP’s ‘Favorite OPM Albums of 2012’ and FHM Philippines’ ‘7 Albums You Should Download Right This Minute’. In the same year, the band has also shared the stage with international acts, opening for Malaysian indie rock band Silent Scenery (2012 Asia Tour) and Japanese jazz/funk/post-rock act Mouse On The Keys (2012 Machinic Phylum Tour). In 2013, they opened for another post-progressive rock band, Singapore’s ANECHOIS.

In 2014, tide/edit released their first full-length album, Foreign Languages, which culminated their sound, delivering a fully realized collection of songs that displayed the band’s melodically and intrinsically mature sound, as well as their growth as musicians. International online music publication Fecking Bahamas lauded the album, calling it “a beautiful piece of work, full of melody and energy. Clean syncopated guitar riffs duel with a solid and unfussy rhythm section that gives even on repeat listens,” while Vandals On The Wall called it a “remarkable effort that delivered the same elements, yet has evidently expanded their musical template much further.” The band and the album were also featured on a number of music sites and print publications, both foreign and local, such as Radio Republic, Yahoo! Philippines, GMA News Online, Bandwagon, Spread, The Wknd, and PULP Magazine. Shortly after the album launch, they played on the Independent Stage for the annual Fête dela Musique Philippines. On October, Friend of Mine Records, a Japanese independent record label, released and distributed Foreign Languages in Japan, featuring three additional tracks not included in the local release. Moreover, tide/edit’s first single, “Odd & Even,” was also included among Massachusetts-based record label, Topshelf Records’s 2014 album sampler, released on January 5, 2015.