MANILA, PHILIPPINES – indiepop supergroup Us-2 Evil-0, after an 11-year absence, are releasing a new single under Island Records Philippines. The song is called Karaoke Machine, an upbeat ditty with their signature boy-girl harmonies. While the track exudes joy and celebration, the lyrics hold a deeper, darker meaning. “Karaoke Machine is actually inspired by the My Way murders,” says songwriter/instrumentalist Wincy Ong. “There’s a phenomenon in the Philippines where people get shot over who gets to sing My Way during drunken karaoke sessions. We wanted to do a song that everyone could sing and dance along to, and maybe if they eventually researched about the song, they’d go ‘OMG what?!’”
Karaoke Machine will be available in all streaming music services on October 23rd, with the music video releasing on Youtube the week after. The single will be one of the first local releases of Island Records Philippines. “It’s incredible to be part of a label who have put out such iconic artists like Amy Winehouse, The Specials, Tame Impala and even someone as big as U2!,” says co-vocalist Mich Dulce. Island Records Philippines A&R Manager and Label Head Bel Certeza shares similar sentiments — “As a fan, I am honored and excited that Us-2 Evil-0, one of the bands I’ve enjoyed watching live in Saguijo and Route 196, is back and now part of Island Records. I cannot wait for the listeners, old and new, to listen to their new songs.”
What took the band so long to come up with a follow up to their cult 2009 album Dirty Debutantes? “Some of us left to study abroad, then when we got home others left to work abroad, people got married, designed clothes, painted paintings, made movies, put up solo albums,” co-vocalist Quark Henares shares. “In other words, life.”
And the 2010s have indeed been a busy decade for US-2 Evil-0’s band members. Mich Dulce is a fashion designer and milliner with her namesake label. She also founded the feminist collective Grrrl Gang Manila and sings for punk band The Male Gaze. Quark is a film director who has released two movies since their first album and now heads Globe Studios. Wincy also made a movie and released a few solo albums. Co-vocalis Bassist Nix Puno regularly fills in for bands like Imago and Pedicab, and has had numerous shows as a visual artist. Drummer Bogs Jugo became a musical engineer for a major post production studio, and recently moved to California.
Bogs also took on a bigger role as engineer for Karaoke Machine, which was produced by Ciudad and Hanna and Gabi frontman Mikey Amistoso. They recorded at Hit Productions, one of the most high-tech and well-equipped studios in Manila. The production process was a lot more professional than the band was used to. “Everything was so pro! Parang making use of life skills we learned from our individual professions. And the way we utilized Google Drive, Gmail, and messenger felt so adult,” Nix jokes.
So why reunite after all this time? “To be honest we really just missed each other, and didn’t want Dirty Debutantes to be a one time thing. We never stopped being friends, and we just wanted another document of that,” Quark shares. On whether they’ll ever see the light of the stage again, Mich is optimistic: “for sure! We miss playing shows a lot. Though we do have a hurdle of being spread out in three continents at the moment! Not to mention being in the middle of a pandemic.”
As for the new single, surely we won’t have to wait another 11 years for the next one. “No, you won’t. We made sure of that,” Bogs enthusiastically shares. “Expect more music from us very soon!”
