Ely Buendia On Stepping Out Of The Shadows For ‘Method Adaptor’: “After 30 years of being in the business, I’m finally coming out of my shell.”

After twenty-four years, Ely Buendia is gearing up for the release of his long-awaited sophomore album, titled Method Adaptor.

In that period, the Philippine rock icon has kept himself quite busy. Not only has he been the dynamic frontman of several renowned bands, but he has also played a crucial role as a mentor to a new generation of musicians, nurturing their talent and guiding their artistic journeys. As the founder and driving force behind Offshore Music, his independent record label, Buendia has been instrumental in shaping the contemporary music scene in the Philippines — championing emerging artists and fostering a vibrant, diverse musical landscape.

Yet close to a quarter of a century past the release of his monumental solo record Wanted Bedspacer, Buendia has realized that it was high time that returned back to the studio to take a deep dive into his creative headspace, for the new album promises to be a reflection of his growth, both as a musician and as a person — bridging the past with the present and setting the stage for the next chapter in his storied career.

“[Honestly], I’ve always had stuff lying around,” he tells Billboard Philippines. There were sketches of songs and melodies just lying around my head all throughout the years. It wasn’t necessarily what I would say, ‘This is for Pupil,’ or another band like The Oktaves or Apartel. So after all my side projects, I looked at all of these sketches and realized that I would love to hear these songs recorded. And finally this year, the opportunity to record all of these songs came up,” he adds.

The first glimpse that audiences can take away from the highly-anticipated Method Adaptor comes in the form of its lead single, “Bulaklak Sa Buwan” — a track in which Buendia examines his astute observations on some of the harsh realities found in modern society. Though it still features the beloved gritty and alternative rock sound that he’s become known for, it’s also the clever lyricism that makes it a stellar entry to his impeccable discography.

“Over time, as you grow older, you realize that you can’t not form any opinions about the stuff that you see around you. So I analyzed what I’d see socially through my interactions, alongside what I have felt about society in general, and what came out of that was this strong fascination with how human nature works and how dangerous certain ideologies are — especially when people blindly follow any sort of ideology.”

“Whether it’s religious or political [ideologies], I just wanted to express all that I felt and distill whatever opinions I formed on that into a pop song,” he jokes.

Buendia credits the act of watching several historical and political documentaries as inspiration for the track, seeing as they’ve gone ahead and confirmed what he’s been suspecting all these years. “I watched a lot of documentaries about cults and all that. So parang (it’s like) it just confirmed my suspicions about the dangers of following anything blindly.” 

He continues, “Not being reasonable or knowledgeable enough to question anything that is supposedly the answer to everything in life. Because nothing is definitive, definitely. And there’s so much room for improvement in any kind of thinking. Like, it always has to be questioned. It always has to be updated. So that is basically what I’m saying with this song.”

In approaching the rest of Method Adaptor, Buendia notes how different the process was from making his debut album in 2000. “Wanted Bedspacer was basically just me trying out new recording gear. My label at that time, BMG, gifted me with a Roland VS-1680 recording console that I just played around with, and then decided to release the songs that I came up with. But this time, I really wanted [the record] to sound professional.”

Without giving away too much of what to expect from the upcoming album, the rock star states how this record is something that he hopes can draw audiences upon their first listen. “The first album I did was super lo-fi, super cobbled together, and just generally out there in terms of its genre and sonic identity. So this time [with Method Adaptor], I wanted to be really focused and thoughtful with how it would convey the intended themes that I thought over and even the way that it sounded.”

The title of the record itself isn’t just a random play on words — given that it translates Buendia’s very own unique process in bringing the album to life. “I think it has something to do with the process of coming up with these songs because I’ve always been a necessity type of guy, which means that I need to put some sort of limit on what I need to do in order to be inspired and channel my creativity.”

“Like post E-Heads, there was this realization that I had to set these parameters which allowed me to be creative. So Pupil was modern rock. And then came Oktaves, na naging (which was) rockabilly, ‘di ba (right)? And I guess that is something that continues pa rin (as well) with this solo album because I had to set certain parameters so that I could write the songs. So that to me is what Method Adaptor is.”

Though the album is still scheduled for release in early November this year, Buendia isn’t shying away from sharing his hopes for the key takeaways that his avid fans and listeners can take from the record. “I hope that they would see me just as a separate entity because I really want to establish a different side to my songwriting. To me, it would be great if they could separate my work as a solo artist from the rest of my catalog.”

While he jokingly notes the unlikely nature of that becoming a reality, he keeps an open mind as to what lies ahead for the future. “I mean, who knows? If I can do that, whether or not it happens, at least I can say that I tried,” he affirms.

In embarking on this journey, the 53-year-old acknowledges that no matter what happens, there ultimately lies a sense of catharsis upon the release of Method Adaptor into the world. “I was always wary of doing something for my solo career. So to do this independently, cushioned of other people sharing the responsibilities, it’s [surprisingly] kind of a good feeling. Because finally, after thirty years of being in the business, I’m finally coming out of my shell.”

As we await the release of Ely Buendia’s Method Adaptor, listen to the lead single “Bulaklak Sa Buwan” below: