BELONGINGNESS in a family is one of the few things permanent in this world. Whatever we may go through, we always involve our kin in the things we love to do.
The strong bonds shared by the Ferrer family are the sources of the band Splendio Tritus’ purpose in its music. The four-piece ensemble “officially” became a collective in 2012. It is composed of Nicolle (guitar and vocals), Josiah (or Josh) (bass and vocals), Iazelle (drums) and Yhaele (keyboard and vocals), and is under the loving support of their parents and managers Florie and Agripino (or “Agree”) Jr.
With combined vocals and their own take on modern rock, the young quartet performs renditions of hit songs that would play in your head well past bedtime. And with the recent release of their first single Be Who U Wanna Be, the band is well on their way in completing their 2018 goal of finishing their EP, Don’t Ever Let Them Pull U Down.
Where it started
MORE than the sheer joy of playing music and admiration for the works of The Corrs, System of a Down, and Parokya ni Edgar, the band was mainly formed to support for their brother Josh.
At the age of 2 Josh was diagnosed with autism and had to undergo early speech and occupational therapies. As soon as their youngest Yhaelle had learned to play the keyboard, the music of Splendio Tritus was born.
“The forming of the band was more spontaneous than planned,” Yhaelle said. “All we really had in mind was to use music to help Josh. We didn’t actually know it would come to this point. It’s pretty cool,” the sixth grader added.
From live concerts in their living room, to jamming with other indie bands on concert grounds, their simple act of caring has come a long way and has been successful in improving Josh’s condition, as Iazelle described.
“After we first performed in public, he has improved a lot,” Iazelle assured. “He became more sociable and more enthusiastic about playing in the band.”
Josh also sees possibilities of their music going beyond the stage, and on to the big screen as a movie soundtrack.
Balanced, perfect
PERHAPS the best view of the family comes from the eldest, Nicolle, who had recently turned 18. It was during her debut day when they unveiled their first single. Clips from her life-event were also the material used for the song’s video.
Despite being surrounded by so much love and appreciation, she remains honest on what her family is. “Like all families, we aren’t perfect,” she said when describing them as more than just band mates.
“We do tend to have our ups and downs; a few misunderstandings,” she recounted. “[There are] days when one of us cries, and when we literally compliment ourselves. [We] jump with happiness after we finish learning a song and play it perfectly, and [there are also moments] when we just joke around and laugh at each other’s goofiness.”
“Honestly, we like our life; [it’s] one with balance,” she went on to say. “It’s what we consider ‘perfect,’ and we thank God for giving us such.”
Composing the words and music, Nicolle was clear in the message of their lyrics, and what the band represents in their EP with this first track.
‘Oh Giliw’
MUSIC does run deep in the family, as shown by their parents, whose relationship goals are one for the romantics.
The song “Oh Giliw” was made about 23 years ago back before they were married, and far from each other. Many years later, they were to see the actual song they made performed by their children. The new single’s release was scheduled on October 8, on the exact day of the couple’s wedding anniversary.
Splendio means, “we shine;” and Tritus, “though worn.” It’s the family’s motto, which goes to show that more than their creative minds, their music takes inspiration from those close to their hearts. Josh wonderfully puts it by paraphrasing a verse from the Bible’s New Testament, particularly St. Paul’s Epistle to the Philippians:
“Regardless of the trials in our everyday lives, family continues to support each other, to make sure that we continue to radiate the best versions of ourselves,” Josh proclaimed. “Whenever they see our [band’s] name, we want them to think about family.”
(To support these young talents of OPM, visit their web site https://www.splendiotritus.com/, and be updated of their releases by liking Facebook page Splendio Tritus Music.)