Dreampop band Megumi Acorda has solidified themselves as one of the country’s favorite indie acts today, from playing packed gigs all over the country and at Singapore’s Rocking The Region festival in 2022, getting international coverage from publications like NME Asia, to releasing their stellar debut EP Unexpectedly and recent album Silver Fairy.
The band, composed of Megumi Acorda (The Strange Creatures), Evee Simon (July XIV, Spacedog Spacecat), Bijan Gorospe (The Strangeness, Grows), Kevin Ingco (Memory Drawers), and Jerros Dolino (Spacedog Spacecat, formerly of Urbandub and Sheila and the Insects), started out as a solo venture for the band’s frontwoman and primary songwriter. After posting a demo on her personal Facebook account, Dolino and Gorospe volunteered to play for her if ever she decided to perform the project live. After deciding that she wanted three guitarists in the band (including herself), Acorda enlisted the help of Simon and Ingco after seeking recommendations from friends.
The result of bringing in some of the local indie scene’s more accomplished purveyors is a supergroup that attracts droves of people to their shows. Their individual styles play into their dynamic and chemistry as a band, although it didn’t always start out like that.
“We were very awkward and shy,” Simon says with a laugh. Acorda continues, “For our first practice, I sent a couple of songs and asked if we could [practice] these.”
“Lahat kami introvert!” (We’re all introverts!) the band say as they speak over each other. At the time, the now-permanent band members operated more like session players, staying faithful to Acorda’s musical arrangements. After securing more live gigs, especially after their breakout single “Ghost” became a fan favorite, their chemistry as a band became more cohesive.
It’s this growth that fueled the creation of their debut full-length, Silver Fairy, which was released earlier this year. “The term ‘silver fairy’ was taken from the idea of the ‘golden child,'” reveals Acorda. “The album’s themes more or less revolved around parents expecting so much [from the persona], like a trophy kid. So, instead of getting a ‘golden child,’ they got a silver fairy.”
While the concept of the album was still primarily Acorda’s creation, the rest of the band were more involved in the pre-production process, adding their own personal touches to each track.
“Whatever Meg’s vision was, I executed,” shares Dolino. “Going into Silver Fairy, I had a [better] idea of the band’s sound. I had more to work with [compared to Unexpectedly].”
Gorospe chimes in, saying, “After Unexpectedly, our sound evolved, especially with how we played it live. Mas present yung (More present was) each [member’s] voice, thumbprint, or style of playing in Silver Fairy.“
Ingco, who also mixed the album, says that during the mastering process, he could clearly hear the distinction between each member’s respective parts and how they contributed to the whole sound. “There was a better understanding of the sound, not just each other.”
The recording is only half the story. It’s through their live shows where their ever-evolving sound is built on, as they learn how to balance and play off each other’s skills. For example, when performing in front of a crowd, the members of Megumi Acorda have their individual favorite tracks to play for a variety of reasons — for example, one of Dolino’s favorite songs to perform is “Aftershow,” because he realized that he could play around with the song live, like doing a different approach to the cymbals or the drum swells. “I realized [when attacking the songs live] that it’s more about dynamics [with each other] than execution.”
As Megumi Acorda continue to shape their sound, they share that they’re looking to make more heavier songs in the future — bringing fuzzier and “dirtier” elements to their music. They add that they have more gigs lined up to continue bringing the signature Megumi Acorda sound to their audiences. As the band continues to cement their place in the indie scene, it’s exciting to see where they will take their music next.
Listen to their debut album, Silver Fairy below: