How many of us would find inspiration at the most unlikely time? For Zild, whose new release “Duwag” is now out under Island Records Philippines, that song happened to come to him while waiting for his cat at the veterinarian’s clinic. While at a nearby stand buying sour cream and cheese-flavored French fries, this song came to him. Eventually, he finished the song at his home studio, lovingly called the “Attic.”
The theme of “Duwag,” though, is something familiar to those who have a deep knowledge of love songs. It is the pain caused by unrequited love, but of a particular kind—the one that is kept inside. Filipinos have a word for it: “torpe.” Zild says that the song is about the feeling of utter regret that comes when one couldn’t express what one feels. There are a million possibilities one can imagine, he says, but they remain just that: possibilities.
Listen to ‘Duwag’ here!
Zild says that this version of “Duwag” sounds very different from how he originally arranged it. “The song used to [sound] more ‘produced’,” he says, “but I attempted to make a simple version, which I liked more.” He wanted to make it sound like this was the work of musicians starting out, which comes out in the song’s emotional immediacy. In fact, he says, “this is more straightforward and simple compared to my previous works.” He likens it to his previous single “Isang Anghel,” but in a more lighthearted vein.
In writing “Duwag,” Zild says that he was listening to music from such acts as the Strokes, the Smashing Pumpkins, Vaundry, and Sugarfree. With those influences in play, the result is a song that is driven by a memorable melody, poetic and honest lyrics, and a sound that can easily capture the listener’s attention. It is the sort of song, he says, that would appear in a coming-of-age film where the lead character lets the wind pass over her face.
Of course, Zild has more up his sleeve. In fact, he may have something in mind for Halloween. Until then, listeners can get to enjoy his take on a classic love song trope that continues to speak to people now.