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Thursday, December 02, 2021

Ben&Ben's new music video with juan karlos, Zild, and director Jerrold Tarrog push the mental health discussion forward

11/26/2021 10:57:20 PM


Ahead of its concert, Ben&Ben has launched a music video that featured collaborations between two of today's hottest acts and a director that is known for creating epic historical movies.

For the folk-pop collective, the song Lunod depicts the chronological experience of drowning in torrential distress and anxiety with a music video that pushes the discussion forward with its metaphorical depiction of individuals trying to keep their head above water and find their way out of a dark, harrowing tunnel.
“The music video is a deeply introspective and symbolic interpretation of the song, which is all tied in together from the concept and writing, down to the location,” lead vocalist, guitarist and Lunod chief songwriter Paolo Benjamin explained through its statement. “In the video, the song is narrated as the band, with Zild and juan karlos, move deeper and deeper into the tunnel slowly—losing breath, then in the latter half taking powerful strides to move out of it. This signals a ‘rebirth’ into a new, more mature version of the self.”
The cinematic visuals were shot at the El Deposito water reservoir, an underground location known for its historical significance to the events that lead to the Philippine Revolution, Philippine-American War, and World War II, with Jerrold Tarog — known for directing the likes of Heneral Luna, Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral, and Sana Dati—helming. This also marks as a reunion between him and Ben&Ben after putting direction to the latter's 2018 track Susi.

“We love collaborating with visionaries in their fields, and so it was a dream working with him,” the acclaimed folk-pop group revealed.

Ahead of the music video release, the nine-piece collective dropped a live acoustic performance of “Lunod” last month. Also featuring Zild and juan karlos, the more intimate version of this track showcases a stripped-down bluesy, classic rock arrangements of the original for a more subdued take. This subdued interpretation of the song is part of an exclusive EP release featuring multiple iterations of “Lunod” in various formats, including an extended version of the track.

Aside from the EP, ‘Lunod’ received a remix treatment from hip-hop artist Zelijah, who channeled his struggles with mental health on the production level, and even added a rap verse to convey the mental strains that he went through during the pandemic, and after being diagnosed as bipolar. The “Bipolar remix” of the track gives Zelijah the opportunity to put his own character into the song, and reinterpret it with ethereal sonic elements that blend trap, hip-hop, modern electronica, and rock music genres.


Coinciding with the launch of Lunod's music video was the cafe patterned after this track that was located at Latitude Bean+Bar in Malate, Manila as part of Ben&Ben’s Kuwaderno Pop-Up Café activities, which runs for 25-27 November. The pop-up café includes a Lunod art installation inspired by Zelijah’s Bipolar Remix, as well as other art activities related to mental health.

The Kuwaderno Pop-Up Café features several exclusive activities for Liwanag and ordinary folks to immerse themselves into Ben&Ben’s critically acclaimed album and upcoming digital concert. The two other exclusive pop-ups are located at Jess + Pat’s in Maginhawa, QC, and Kale Café in Fairview, QC. In these venues, music fans have could purchase their tickets for the Kuwaderno: A Ben&Ben Online Concert.

Author: slickmaster | © 2021 The SlickMaster's Files

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