For a bunch of kids who started a band for the most juvenile of reasons—to look cool and to get the girls’ attention—One Click Straight has marked quite a few milestones: three EPs, a full-length album, and bragging rights to capturing the audience in sought-after venues like Route 196 and Saguijo.
The band has just released its self-titled sophomore album under Island Records Philippines, and this is one album that its members—brothers Tim, Sam and Topher Marquez and their childhood friend Joel Cartera—are particularly proud of.
It took them two years and a pandemic to finish the album. Writing and recording the songs kept them afloat despite not being able to play in their favorite venues as frequently as they would have preferred.
“That was the difficult part because majority ng strength namin as a band was playing gigs ‘cause we’re not big on numbers or social media. We were just strong with the way we toured and the way we used to do gigs,” guitarist and vocalist, Sam, admitted in an interview with SoundStrip.
“And nung nawala yung gigs, in all honesty, it was an existential kind of thing. But we focused our energy on finishing the album.”
Sam and his bandmates were left to their own device when the pandemic hit. “We were always ‘sound searching’ so nagkataon na nahanap namin something that would really represent the band.”
Creating music behind closed doors and with one’s siblings at the height of a pandemic came with its own set of perks and challenges.
“It’s very straightforward. If we want to push an idea, there’s no more beating around the bush. We just go straight and say, ‘okay, this is what we wanna do,” said Sam.
There’s also a certain level of respect that they have established over the years, as brothers and as bandmates. Their closeness, however, does present certain issues every so often.
“Sometimes wala nang walls, so when aggravation comes in, sometimes it’s a bit intense,” admitted Sam. But the good thing is that these guys have also reached a certain level of maturity and are capable of resolving their problems peacefully. “It’s more of just brotherhood and music.”
It’s all about the music
This maturity translates into their opinions, too; clear as day in how they expressed their views on a certain lawmaker’s suggestion to limit the entry of foreign acts into the country.
“I don’t know the political standpoint. I don’t know, is there a reason for that? Is it money, a political reason? I don’t know,” said Sam. “But for me, from a musical standpoint, I think we should welcome any form of music, whether it’s Filipino or a Korean thing. It’s just race. That should not have any effect on the music thing.”
“Again, that’s just me, and from a musical standpoint. I’d love for everyone to come here. If British bands could come here, that would be rad. Who cares about the race? It’s about the music!”
Tim, the drummer, chimed in, saying, “It all comes down to music. If we’re gonna shut them out, wouldn’t it hurt more if they also shut us out? Basically we’re cutting off the chances of international support, of international connections. Of cultural exchange.”
Both Tim and Sam believe that if anything, homegrown artists and producers should learn from the shows imported by foreign acts–there’s a lot of production value in such shows. Making locally produced shows globally competitive could lead to plenty of opportunities to conquer the world stage.
As a band born in the age of social media, One Click Straight recognizes the good and bad, and can still feel quite affected by incisive comments even after playing the circuit and making music for a decade.
“I’ll be honest,” began Tim. “The voices around…do get into your head. Especially during the pandemic when social media became the number one, let’s say, ‘source’ of success. If you’re not successful on social media, your song doesn’t matter. It doesn’t have any value if it’s not trending. If it doesn’t even have streams, ‘why did you even write that?’ It does mess up with your head.”
“But that’s what the album is about. It’s fighting—that specific culture, that mindset na if a song is not a commercial success, it doesn’t matter. We’re fighting that. Music does matter if it’s real, if it’s honest, if it comes from an honest place.”
“It does affect us, but I guess we’ve found the confidence to not care.”
Finding their sound when they least expected it
Tim said that being forced to create music during the pandemic helped the band discover the qualities that would set them apart, musically. “It basically made us step back and look at where we wanna go, sonically.”
“I dunno. I think what we found is just the attitude—not a specific genre,” he added. “It was more of that confidence and that angst, that feeling of ‘hey, I just wanna make something that I’m proud of, something I wanna listen to.’”
The result is a 14-track record that includes the previously released singles “Lilo,” “MRT,” “Untitled 02,” “Hahayaan” and “Dahan-dahan.” Tim and Sam are the chief songwriters, but the rest of the band contributed to the arrangement.
“With this album, I think we could finally say that we found our message. We found what we’re fighting for. We found our identity in the creation of this. So in terms of sound and lyrics, it’s all honesty,” said Tim. “I think these are the best songs we’ve written.” One Click Straight’s new, self-titled album is available on Spotify, Apple Music and on the iTunes store. You may also check out One Click Straight on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.