Gin Rum and Truth (GRT) is not known for their willingness to compromise. Undying in their love for rock and roll and ever-spirited in dropping heavy bangers sure to raise the bar, GRT captures their grunge spirit with their latest release.
Last March 19, 2021, GRT released their single, the unforgivingly hard-hitting F*cked Up. One listen and you instantly get plunged head first into the intense weight of the song’s arrangement, complete with the powerful guitars of Snide and Alquin Eledana, the rough vocals of Yok Tano, and the full pumping sounds of Mey Reyes’ bass and Inigo Mortel’s drums.
Created from the loose jamming sessions of vocalist Yok Tano and former guitarist Martin Salvano, F*cked Up is more than just a song. “It’s a promise,” according to Yok, as the song itself details a man’s pursuit to care for and protect the person he loves despite all the difficulties and struggles that the world poses. That, in light of all of one’s flaws, or rather because of one’s flaws, loving becomes much harder, but it also becomes much more meaningful.
Back when live gigs were not yet a thing of the past, GRT’s F*cked Up usually got feedback and responses from listeners that the song sounded a bit like a cover. “Pag sinabi kaseng tunog cover ibig sabihin common ang tunog, pero para sakin ok sya na feedback kase.tumatatak yung kanta.” says Mey in response. With respect to the song’s sound, Alquin displays his thoughts on why F*cked Up is one of his favorite tracks, “It’s new, yet [it] sounds familiar; it’s angry yet [it] sounds happy [and] groovy”. Particularly, Snide’s guitars give F*cked Up an extra attitude and kick, he explains that “When we were recording the song, I was going for that punk rock guitar tone which made it cut through the record and made it stand out.”.
However, there was no doubt that the band knew the pushback the song could have from the title alone. Explicit songs tend to get less pop appeal, because of the way companies or brands cultivate their image to cater to wider markets. “We’re a rock band.” Inigo says. “The only image we try to protect is the face that we wear when we are with our families and friends, and that face is what we really are. If we are not trying to be true to ourselves, para saan pa ito?”
Catch and listen to Gin Rum and Truth’s F*cked Up on—–
Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/GRTFU
YouTube: https://youtu.be/0TqCVh0fUXk
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