I’m a huge fan of At The Moment – I fell in love with their music the first time I heard them in early 2015, when by chance, I ended up hosting a show they played for at saGuijo, a well-known yet underground local bar patronized by music lovers in Metro Manila. Since then, it took them quite some time, a lineup change, and a new studio and producer to get to the sound they have now. As both their friend and as a fan, here are my thoughts.

EP Review

“To: What Was and What Has Always Been” is an EP that’s both ambitious and accomplished. On one hand, the overall sound is impressive, considering these people started the band in their late teens and early twenties. The vocalist/guitarist Vince Agcaoili wrote the lyrics, and a lot of the material seems ahead of his age. On the other hand, he and the rest of the band did what they did really well. Guitarist Paolo Gonzales and keyboardist Aje Alfonso have both massively improved on their particular instruments, creating a sound that’s better yet still familiar. The rhythm section was just as badass – bassist Gene Servigon and drummer Jao Bernardo both started off as session players; when they officially stepped into their new duties, they contributed their own sound without deviating too much from what the original members (Anton Armovit and Josh Bondoc) originally had in mind.

The EP was produced by the band and Nick Lazaro, an accomplished musician, producer, and owner of La Balls Studio. Most of the tracks were recorded with him at La Balls, except for “What Has Always Been,” in which Aje took the reins at MGT, working with Greg Rodriguez III who mixed and mastered the track.

The album artwork was really nice, and everything was created by collage artist Ches Gatpayat. I’ve always been a fan of her work (she’s done art and merch for various bands and album art for various other CD releases as well). You need to buy the physical copy to fully appreciate all four pieces, but I guarantee you every single one is gorgeous. My only complaint, though, is the CD packaging – it’s a digipak, but the glue used to stick the plastic/jewel CD holder onto the cardboard cover didn’t hold up so well. I had to re-glue the thing, which was a turnoff.

Track-by-Track

City to Burn

Infectious as its original version, “City to Burn” was launched a few months ago as the EP’s first single (the band’s second overall with a music video, after last year’s “Home”). Accompanied by a hilarious music video starring band members on opposing sides of the story, this song is a great start to a record with its booming drumbeats, catchy bass lines, and earworm-inducing “yeah” repetitions.

Never-Changing Mirror

Mellowing things down a bit is “Never-Changing Mirror.” Personally, this is probably my favorite track of the EP. It’s upbeat but not too much, and the guitar solo smack in the middle of the song is just so damn cool and makes me want to rock out whenever I watch the band live.

Fly

Slowing things even further is fan favorite “Fly.” If you’ve been a fan of the band long enough, you’ll notice this version is quite different compared to about two years ago. Not only were there differences in the intro and ending, but the overall quality of the song just massively improved. Gotta admit, the telephone effect on the vocal at the end is pretty cool.

What Has Always Been

I’m not sure if we can consider this a title track as it’s not exactly the EP’s title (ha ha), but “What Has Always Been” will probably carry the record’s name. In that light, it’s a good track that sounds nostalgic. I remember a few years ago, I was confused as to what direction the band was going – it was partly noisy garage rock, partly beachy surf rock. I think this track is where they found the middle ground, and they did it really well.

Mary

I remember hearing “Mary” for the first time and immediately wanting to dance. I think the reason behind it is its familiarity – the song sounds a lot like something the Arctic Monkeys would release. It’s both a good and bad thing, which I’ve mentioned to the band on several occasions. This time around, that AM influence is less prevalent though still present. It still rocks, I still want to dance, but I think of it as an At The Moment song now.

Wait

The track “Wait” is another mellow song, slow enough to close the EP with its melancholic sound. The telephone voice effect makes another appearance, emphasizing the part before the final chorus. The guitar solo at the end is also really nice, and in my opinion this instrumental part was really indicative of the record’s end, like a sweet old “Goodbye, but see you again soon” – something I hope to hear the band say as I’d definitely want to hear them again.

Launch Party

Their EP launch was held last November 11 at saGuijo. Unfortunately, the event was held on the weekend that coincided with the ASEAN summit, so there was massive traffic jams and difficulty for some people to find rides. As a result, the turnout wasn’t that amazing compared to their previous events, but still a good turnout nonetheless. The show also started later than expected because even the bands themselves had a difficult time getting to the venue.

Other bands who played were Closing Party (Gene’s 3-piece punk band), Yurei (Jao’s grunge band), Atomic Sushi, and Ourselves the Elves. The performances were definitely great, and each band was entertaining in their own rights. For local music fans, this lineup was a treat, as all of them did really well in setting up the vibe for the main act. Personally, I found the Php500 entrance with beer and CD a steal! (Side note, you can still get a copy of the EP for Php250 by contacting the band members.)

When At The Moment took the stage, they played a full set that included all tracks from the EP as well as their previous single “Home,” and a few new tracks they’ve been working on. To be honest, it wasn’t their best set, but it was still so much fun for them and their audience. Sometime in the middle of the set, they announced Paolo’s departure, as he is moving back to the US this month.

The band may end up on hiatus, but who knows? They’ve still got a few more gigs lined up, but the distant future is still a bit blurry. If it actually all ends here, I think the band had a pretty good run. I hope they carry on though, as they’ve gotten so far in such a short amount of time. I’ve seen bands crumble in a matter of months, but they’ve managed to keep doing what they do for a few years, and that is an accomplishment in my book. Congratulations, guys!