If there is a member of IV OF SPADES whose instincts run on pure gut, it’s Blaster Silonga. Even in the band’s long hiatus, when he was deep in his own musical world, he kept a quiet watch over the listeners who were just discovering their lineage backwards. “Meron,” he says of fans who first knew them through solo work. “May nagsabi, ‘Ay, IV OF SPADES pala si Zild.’ Siguro ‘yung mga younger Gen Z… eight years old sila nung IVOS kami.”
Blaster’s solo output sharpened his artistic identity, but it also clarified something he valued: collaboration. “Kahit anong solo endeavors, hindi naman tatakbo ‘yan kung wala ‘yung mga ibang tao,” he reflects. He had always leaned toward building worlds with others — producers, bandmates, strangers who would later become trusted creative allies. It’s this collaborative muscle that made the reunion feel so natural, even overdue. “Why not now? Kasi OK naman na kami… Parang tinawag na ng universe.”
That fate manifested in unexpected ways — chance meetings, shared gigs, accidental collaborations. He remembers the moment he and the others were tricked into crossing paths at a Radioactive Sago Project reunion show after years of silence. There was irritation at first, but it dissolved in seconds. “Nung pagdating doon, ‘Hoy!’ Eh may alak naman at may music — [so] game!” That same night, years of distance evaporated.
Once music entered the picture again, momentum built quickly. They tested the waters with small collaborations — the “ghost projects,” as he calls them. “Para siyang test drive,” he says. Little by little, they fell back into rhythm.
Photographed by Shaira Luna. On Blaster: Thian Rodriguez Leather jacket. Urban Revivo Shirt. Thy Roots Shoes.
When the band finally returned to the studio, something fundamental had shifted. “Mas naging loose,” he says of their new dynamic. The older instinct to force input had disappeared. “Ngayon, mas ‘yung original goal na [do what’s good] for the song.” The pressure to impress the world melted away. Instead, the pressure became intimate, almost playful: “‘Sana magustuhan ni Zild,’ ‘yun na lang.”
Blaster’s fingerprints are all over the new IVOS era: the unhurried riffs, the looseness in structure, the openness to instinct. When describing the band’s new process, he puts it simply: “Hinayaan na lang namin kung ano ‘yung hinihingi ng song.”
It’s a philosophy that shaped both their comeback single “Aura” and new album Andalucia, which they put together in Zild’s apartment — their middle ground. The result: a sound that feels familiar yet freer, more mature, and undeniably theirs.
As the band prepares to hit the road again, Blaster is most excited about the unpredictable energy of performing live. “Parang andaming pwedeng mangyari. It feels like a new band.”
In the end, his hope for the new era is simple and sincere: “Sana marinig ‘yung album ng as many people as possible, para ma-judge nila. Hindi kailangan magustuhan ng lahat — pero sana marinig ng lahat ng dapat makarinig.”
Read the full cover story on IV OF SPADES’ comeback here.
Photographed by Shaira Luna. Creative & Fashion Direction by Daryl Chang. Art Direction by Nicole Almero & Gelo Quijencio. Styling by Bettina Bañez assisted by Mel Estillore & Arn Dela Cruz. Glam team by Nix Institute of Beauty. Makeup by Nix Soriano, Hair by WanWan Amarillo (Unique & Zild). Make up by Jean Anganangan & Hair by WanWan Podadera Amarillo (Blaster & Badjao). Production Design by Migs Alcid assisted by Jael Faelnar, Saryn Magallano, & John Lorwen Honor. Photography assisted by Emelito Lansangan & Crisaldo Soco. Production by Mika Cruz. Story by Jason Caballa.