This might very well be a verse from a love song. Yet The Dawn, one of the nation’s pioneering rock bands, poses this query in their brand-new song, “Earth.” The song “Earth,” famous for its anthems like “Salamat” and “Iisang Bangka,” poses the existential query, particularly in light of the current political, societal, and even personal concerns.
It’s been a struggle to be a human. There’s always the question, can we go on like this? Is this how we’re supposed to deal with things? Is there a better way, says The Dawn frontman Jett Pangan. “We, as human beings, when we’re faced with troubles that seem insurmountable, we tend to look the other way. Maybe not to say we’re in denial, it’s more of the fear of the unknown.”
He pointed out that it’s not condescending but, in fact he asks himself the same question. The pandemic also raised that big question. “We’re all hoping that after all these we become better people,” he said.
Trust The Dawn to come up with a song that is timely and relevant. The society has seen a rise in mental health concerns among the youth. In fact, in a study by the University of the Philippines Population Institute (UPPI), it highlighted that between 2013 and 2021, there are twice the number of young Filipinos who felt loneliness, sadness, and being disliked.
One of the band’s guitarists Rommel “Sancho” Sanchez, emphasized that “Is love still a thing,” can also be read as “is empathy still a thing?” Sanchez said that with the mode of communications now, it’s easy to be snarky. Their hope is that through this song and with this one powerful line, people will pause, reflect, and hope that they can be a little kinder.
Apart from the significance of its lyrics, there are a lot of reasons that make “Earth” distinct.
It was recorded during the pandemic and every member of the group had to record individually. The Dawn drummer JB Leonor shared he made a story with the drum parts alone. There’s a reason for every note of the drum.
“Earth” is the last song that their bassist Mon Legaspi recorded before he passed away. And it was an ode to him that they committed to finish the track.
Sanchez was the last one to record the guitar parts. “I lost the recordings when my hard drive failed. We had to ask permission from Mon’s sister and asked a friend to help extract his parts. It was really difficult for me to record my parts,” he said.
The song itself went through a lot and now that it’s here, it is definitely a treat not only to the loyal fans of The Dawn but to everyone who appreciates great music.
The band is motivated to continue by the response to “Earth.” Francis “Kiko” Reyes, one of the guitarists, deserves credit for claiming that the band’s creative connection persisted throughout the pandemic. With all of his rally cries and the response to the new song, Pangan exalted that an EP, or new collection of songs, was imminent.
The Dawn wishes to be a part of the music scene since they are aware of how dynamic it is nowadays. He continued by saying that people are more accepting of music today because of the blurring of genre and label boundaries. They don’t say whether the music is too hip-hop or too rock. There’s no border to cross now that music has merged in all genres, and The Dawn has been blessed with a platform to be heard over the years. This time, it’s their new song “Earth.” The Dawn is a band with a lot to offer, and like the true rockstars they are, they follow their musical inclinations. No categorization, just genuine love for music. Play The Dawn’s Earth music now on Spotify and Youtube.
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