MANILA – OPM legend Raimund Marasigan has produced the new single of Cebu-based band The Sundown that is set to amp up everyone’s playlists.

Titled “Don’t Forget Tonight,” the track is a hard-edged, hooky and guitar-driven song about a someone who risked everything for love.

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“It seemed they were excited about the song. As a producer, my job is to give them options and solutions so they can meet their goals. The song was already good and recorded very well when I heard it. But they felt it was missing something, so together we tried to figure out what that was,” Marasigan said.

Composed of Aaron Domingo, Gino Rosales, Vincent James Eco, Alden Panes, and Luigi Balazo, the band said working with Marasigan is easily one of the best things that happened to the group.

“Raimund is someone we look up to and respect. It was quite a privilege to have him produce the song,” Rosales said. “Obviously, collaborating was a challenge because of the pandemic, but thanks to the power of the internet, we pulled it off. It would’ve been cool to do it in person if things were normal, though.”

“You know how you know everything about your crush but they don’t even know you exist? That’s what our relationship with him was like before this collaboration, and it wouldn't have been possible without our label and Open Door,” added Balazo.

“He was a chill dude to work with. As the drummer, I’ll never forget the pep talk he gave us before we recorded the drum parts. We all were open to the knowledge he dropped. A bunch of changes were made to the song after he hopped on it with us. We're happy we made those changes too,” Panes said.

As for Eco, he said: “We can't give away everything Raimund told us, but what we can say is that he told us to always keep the listeners in mind when creating the flow of a song. A song has to flow right from start to finish. Handling the energy and having it transform throughout the song, knowing when to hit hard and pull back.”

Meanwhile, another OPM band, Unit 406, is also releasing their first single under their new home MCA Music.

“Kung Ang Puso” is a searing pop/rock ballad about a failed relationship where one party is still willing to fix things but the other has already given up.

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Guitarist and vocalist Chen Pangan shared that it took some time for Gab Tagadtad, the band’s chief songwriter, to finish the track.

“He wrote the chorus in 2017, then put it aside and came back to it after two years. When he did, he had one of those moments where the songwriting was totally easy, na parang nagsibagsakan na lang 'yung mga letra sa papel. Natapos niya agad noon 'yung kanta, then pinarinig niya sa amin and sa label, and we all gave it a thumbs-up.”

Aside from Pangan and Tagadtad, the band also features bassist Ash Vanguardia, drummer Tim Sison, and keyboardist TJ Hollon.

Tagadtad said his approach to making music is very different when he writes for Unit 406.

“When I write for Unit 406, I imagine us playing on stage. 'Yung mga calculated na hampas ni Tim sa drums na sinasakop 'yung buong venue, 'yung basslines ni Ash na naka-super glue sa ugong ng drums niya, 'yung distorted guitars ni Chen na parang nakikipagduet pa sa harmonies naming tatlo, at 'yung piano at synth parts ni TJ na nagpapadulas sa tenga ng nakikinig. With that in mind, iniisip ko kung ano pa yung gusto kong marinig sa kanila na hindi ko pa naririnig. I start from there hangang mabuo yung song.”

While they are grateful to their previous label, the band is optimistic that new doors will open for Unit 406 now that the group is with MCA Music.

“If we keep pushing, 2021 could be our year. We’re really blessed to have been able to sign with MCA even during this time, because we know we’re not alone in our pursuit of success. While we wait for live events to return, we’ll release as much music as we can online so we can still be with our listeners as we await better days,” said Tagadtad.

Both “Don’t Forget Tonight” and “Kung Ang Puso” are out now on all digital music platforms.

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