MANILA, PHILIPPINES — Filipino actress Heaven Peralejo stars as a deeply conflicted vampire on the music video of Sponge Cola’s “Kung Ako Ang Pumiling Tapusin Ito”—the new single dropped ahead of their full-length album to be released in 2022.
The MV sees Heaven on the verge of a domestic breakdown as she adjusts to a life of uncertainty and fear from the sunlight.
“It was a treat meeting and working with Heaven Peralejo,” Drummer Tedmark Cruz shares in a statement. “Being part of a project or shoot with the nicest people just makes everyone’s jobs a lot easier.”
Budding filmmaker Lamar Roque directed the music video, which serves as an allegorical take on walking away from an unhealthy, toxic relationship and finding the courage to love yourself. Despite the several changes in terms of shoot dates, the production team headed by Lamar covered all the bases and made sure that it went smoothly as planned.
“It took almost a year with all the lockdowns and delays,” vocalist Yael Yuzon said. “Direk Lamar and his team did a great job capturing the gravitas while adhering to all safety measures during the shoot. It was a long logistical juggling act that must have added to the weight of the end product. We’re mighty proud of the visual masterpiece.”
“Kung Ako Ang Pumiling Tapusin Ito” was written by vocalist/guitarist Yael Yuzon, with additional parts from bassist Gosh Dilay. According to Yael, he penned the song from the perspective of the one who leaves the relationship. “Walking away, cutting clean is theoretically easy but usually isn’t. Whether it’s comfort and familiarity, an inability to be alone or whatnot, most people who leave find themselves circling back which isn’t something people tend to focus on since we usually think of the ones left behind.”
The song was produced by constant collaborator Joey Santos, whom the band has worked with on previous singles “Siguro Nga,” “Labis-labis” and “Alamat,” the Mobile Legends Bang Bang 5th Anniversary track. The alt-rock quartet aims for a minimalist, ambient, but very punctuated approach in doing a ballad, and with Joey’s expertise in conveying the band’s vision for the sound design, everything turned out better than expected.
As Ted puts it, “Working with Joey Santos has been wonderful. From file sharing over Google Drive, to creating a dedicated WhatsApp/Telegram group, to recording and doing online shows, and most recently traveling to Dubai, I believe we’ve bonded very well. And boy are we all excited to share the sound we’ve come up with in this latest album with you all.”
“Kung Ako Ang Pumiling Tapusin Ito” is out now on all digital music platforms worldwide via Sony Music Philippines. Watch the music video here.
