Hale has recently launched its new album called “Kundiman”. In the past three albums, I would say the band has evolved. “Kundiman” is a new concept that Hale wants to introduce that is very much like Filipiniana. It is a symbol of our culture. As Roll Martinez (guitar) says, “It is called KUNDIMAN for the essence of the songs written and we thought it fits the album perfectly. It’s about the cultural observation of our mother country. We’re expressing the state of mind of our society in a humane context and not political.”

I would always love Hale for “The Day You Said Goodnight”. It has been so long since they had a good song so I was really excited to see an interesting album. At first, I thought it was going to be all rock metal that you would love but will quickly forget. But I was surprised to see and hear that it is totally different in a good way. The main song in the album is called ‘Bahay Kubo”. If you have seen the video, you would better understand the music. The context is about two individuals who are looking for a safe haven and in the end they find it in each other’s arms. The song is different just as its video. It is directed by Nani Naguit and with a cameo role done by Heart Evangelista.

Bahay Kubo is not a pop song so don’t expect catchy lyrics. It is an intellectual song and there are several emotions within the music. It is a song that you will love, the more you hear it. I would say the album is very haunting that it makes it me want to hear and understand more about the music and its melody. The new album was specially designed to reflect the soul of the album with images to connect with the Filipino culture. Champ Lui Pio (frontman and songwriter) says, “We wanted to come out with an album that we’ve never done before, release an all Tagalog album. That was the concept. As an artist, one way or another you want to pay tribute to your country, your culture, your language. This is the basic foundation of Kundiman.”

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