Believe it or not, there is actually no Bea in the indie rock band, Last Song Bea. As a matter of fact, the band doesn’t even have a female member.
Formed just before the pandemic began, the band is composed of Xyrus Judan (bass), Donie Dico (lead guitar), Mark Bambico (drums), Nimrod Lacquian (keyboards/guitar), Erwin Dimaculangan (guitar/vocals) and Richard Parcia (guitar/vocals) who is also their bandleader.
Attributing their roots to the alternative music scene of the 1990s, the band has adopted “a no-template approach to anything” as they try to develop a signature sound that will resonate with fans–mostly through occasional jam sessions at Pete’s Place bar.
“We just agreed to form and record songs. Our subconscious was more particular with the idea of agreeing to form and just get to work.”
The need to come out with a name, however, took a more urgent turn once they started to record “Nakakotse,” their first original song.
“The only thing I am sure of is that I was the one who ‘made’ the concept [behind] Last Song Bea. I chose the words. The only clue to this thought pattern is that we were teasing a crew member in one of those watering holes that a friend brought us to whose name was Judy. We told her that we’re from a band and we’ll name our band 4th Song Judy. I know I was the one who concocted Last Song Bea because I knew about 4th song Judy,” shared Parcia.
“We actually had another name in mind, but it had already been taken. Since ‘Nakakotse’ was already on its 3rd master, we were already in panic mode. We needed a name fast because we didn’t know what band name we’ll use in saving the master track,” Parcia further revealed.
But while the band quickly came up with their name in a rather spontaneous fashion, that wasn’t the case with “Nakakotse.” The song was actually over two decades in the making.
“It was originally composed by three gentlemen: Francis Tuazon, Joel Villanueva, and myself. The song was inspired by a true story that has something to do with the first guy, Francis. Let’s just say that on the day of the incident, the other two gentlemen ended up sympathizing with him and it involved a couple of bottles of Ginebra Gin, and just water as we didn’t have any money back then,” Parcia recalled.
“The core of the song was done on that fateful night of excess libation. However, the final version was only made on the week of the recording schedule. Everyone pitched their ideas.”
In addition to his bandmates, Parcia also gives a lot to their record producer, Robert Javier, formerly of the popular 90s garage rock trio, The Youth.
“It was Robert who ‘painted’ [the song]. He asked me personally if I had a vision for it. I said none and even if I had one, I won’t assert it because I was concerned that we will cage the process. Besides, I clarified that we’re a band that will not subscribe to one template as there’s no joy in it. I just said let’s mix it up and see where it leads us.”
A breezy, mid-tempo, guitar-driven ballad that not only recalls the 90s heydays of such iconic artists like the Eraserheads, Parokya ni Edgar and True Faith but also sounds like an unintentional homage to The Manila Sound of the 70s which as pioneered by the band Hotdog also helped shape Original Pilipino Music or simply OPM.
With its “visual” picturesque lyrics punctuated by a three-word refrain, the tune has become a manifestation of a guy finding himself in the losing end of a love triangle to a rival with a fancy car. And yes, it was inspired by a true story–an all too real and common scenario that still takes place to this day.
Since its release last month, the LSS-inducing “Nakakotse” has quickly resonated with fans. The official lyric video for the song has already generated over 16,000 which is quite impressive for a band very few have heard of before its release.
Parcia said he and the band are so far happy with the real-time feedback that they’re getting on social media.
“The most common of the positive comments is that it is an easy listening tune that you can put on repeat while driving or just sitting with a beer on hand. This comment gave us an idea of our choices with the follow-up releases. One interesting comment though was that they were able to get its deeper meaning. To be honest, there was none originally outside of the story. It made me ponder though if it really had a deeper meaning. Surprisingly, there is. The lyrics might be something pedestrian as unrequited affection, but it can also be a song of acceptance and an appeal to continue living. As the French would often say, either in tragedy or triumph, c’est-la-vie.”
Last Song Bea’s “Nakakotse” is now available on major streaming platforms namely Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, Instagram/Facebook, TikTok/Resso, YouTube Music, Amazon, Soundtrack by Twitch, Pandora, Deezer, Tidal, iHeartRadio, ClaroMusica, Saavn, Boomplay, Anghami, KKBox, NetEase, Tencent, Triller (beta), Yandex Music (beta), MediaNet, Snapchat, Shazam.