Sandwich Explore The Different Faces Of Grief In New Single “Nasalanta”
The alternative rock veterans embrace synths, grief, and a fresh creative dynamic as guitarist Mong Alcaraz steps into the spotlight on the band’s latest single.
Myrene Academia, Raymund Marasigan, Mong Alcaraz, Diego Castillo, and Mike Dizon of Sandwich: photo courtesy of PolyEast Records.
Myrene Academia, Raymund Marasigan, Mong Alcaraz, Diego Castillo, and Mike Dizon of Sandwich: photo courtesy of PolyEast Records.
Nearly three decades into their career, Sandwich remain one of the few Filipino bands still willing to surprise themselves.
Released on July 17, “Nasalanta” finds the alternative rock veterans stepping into unfamiliar territory once again, embracing an electronic-leaning sound while continuing the restless experimentation that has defined the band since the late ’90s. The track also marks a rare shift within the group’s dynamic, with guitarist Mong Alcaraz taking over lead vocal duties.
Written and arranged by Alcaraz, “Nasalanta” examines the emotional disorientation that accompanies grief, focusing less on loss itself than on the identities people assume while trying to move forward. The song grew from the lyric, “‘di ka pa dumidilat, kung kani-kaninong boses na narinig mo, paulit-ulit,” eventually evolving into a meditation on uncertainty, self-doubt, and the lingering echoes left behind by life’s endings.
“‘Nasalanta’ is about facing the many versions of yourself when going through grief; the questions you might ask, and the self-doubt that comes naturally with any ending,” Alcaraz shares.
For Sandwich, whose catalog has long bounced between alternative rock, funk, rap, metal, and pop, stylistic reinvention has become second nature. Rather than settling into a signature formula, the band has consistently treated each release as an opportunity to test new ideas, and “Nasalanta” continues that tradition.
Alcaraz says the song initially took shape around layers of synthesizers inspired by today’s OPM landscape. His original intention, he jokes, was to create something “vaporwave-y,” though guitars eventually found their way back into the arrangement. The finished recording, as he describes it, became “a strange Frankenstein of surface-level late-’80s references with side-chained synths” — an affectionate nod to an era of music refracted through Sandwich’s own offbeat sensibilities.
Even after nine studio albums, Sandwich — whose members also include singer and multi-instrumentalist Raymund Marasigan, guitarist Diego Castillo, bassist Myrene Academia, and drummer Mike Dizon — still find ways to expand their vocabulary.
“So this is really par for the course for us in the sense that yes, nine albums in, we now have a guitar divebomb in the repertoire,” Alcaraz says with a laugh. “Wink wink.”
With “Nasalanta,” Sandwich continue to demonstrate why they have remained one of the country’s most enduring alternative acts: never content to revisit familiar ground, and always curious about where the next song might take them.
Listen to “Nasalanta” below:
Frequently Asked Questions
“Nasalanta” explores the emotional disorientation of grief — not loss itself, but the different versions of oneself that surface while trying to move forward after an ending.
Guitarist Mong Alcaraz wrote and arranged “Nasalanta” and takes over lead vocal duties, a rare shift within Sandwich’s usual band dynamic.
Sandwich released “Nasalanta” on July 17, marking their latest single nearly three decades into the band’s career.
Sandwich consists of Raymund Marasigan, Mong Alcaraz, Diego Castillo, Myrene Academia, and Mike Dizon, with nine studio albums spanning alt-rock, funk, and pop.
“Nasalanta” leans electronic, built from synths inspired by the current OPM landscape and late-’80s side-chained production, with guitar eventually returning to the arrangement.
