Autotelic Look Back On ‘Papunta Pabalik’ As The Album Turns 10
The seasoned indie rock band will celebrate a decade of their debut album with a special show on October 31, revisiting the songs that have grown alongside them and their listeners.
Photo courtesy of Autotelic.
Photo courtesy of Autotelic.
Ten years after its release, Papunta Pabalik continues to find its way into listeners’ playlists, a lasting reminder of the moment Autotelic helped shape the sound of Filipino alternative music. For the band, the album has become a record of a particular time in their lives, with songs that have taken on new dimensions as they and their audience have grown older.
That connection will take center stage on October 31, when Autotelic mark the album’s 10th anniversary with a special show at 123 Block in Mandaluyong City, produced by minsan studio. The performance offers the band an opportunity to revisit the material that introduced them to a wider audience while recognizing how much has changed since they first put the record out in 2016.
“Hanggang ngayon nagugulat pa din ako na nasa playlist pa rin ng mga tao ang songs namin from Papunta Pabalik,” vocalist and guitarist Josh Villena tells Billboard Philippines. “Kumpara noong 2016, mas lumalalim na ang ibig sabihin ng mga kanta ngayon at na-apply pa rin namin sa buhay namin as a band and as individuals. Na-realize namin na ang mga songs na ‘to ay tumatanda din with our listeners.”
(“It surprises me to this day that the songs from Papunta Pabalik are still on people’s playlists. The songs now mean more to us and our lives as a band and individuals, compared to when they came out in 2016. We realized that the songs have grown old with our listeners.”)
For drummer Gep Macadaeg, returning to the album has also meant discovering new ways to perform songs that have been part of the band’s live set for years. Their arrangements continue to shift, with the group occasionally introducing new parts or approaches. The original recordings, he says, captured only the songs’ earliest forms.
“I still find excitement in playing all of these songs,” he says. “Every once in a while, we find a new approach to each song or insert new parts. The album only captured their initial form, but the songs themselves evolve over time.”
Still, Macadaeg sees Papunta Pabalik as a time capsule of 2016, preserving what that period felt like for the band. Its significance sits alongside the memories of a local music scene that was finding new audiences for homegrown, guitar-driven sounds.
Autotelic came up during a period of change for Filipino alternative music. Bands such as Ben&Ben, The Ransom Collective, SUD, Oh, Flamingo! and more were part of a diverse community whose sounds were reaching more listeners. Macadaeg recalls that electronic dance musicElectronic Dance MusicA broad category of rhythm-driven music made with synthesizers and digital production, built for clubs and festivals, including house, techno, trance, and drum and bass. EDM has a strong followingGo to Electronic Dance Music Glossary had dominated concerts and school events when the band first formed, before audiences began exploring a wider range of music.
“We were formed at a time when EDM was the genre that dominated concerts and school events, and it was our ‘batch’ that experienced the shift in listeners’ preferences,” he says. “People started to diversify their musical tastes at that point, thanks to YouTube and SpotifySpotifyA digital music, podcast, and audiobook streaming platform that lets users listen to millions of tracks and shows on demand across multiple devices.Go to Spotify Glossary, and we’re grateful that more people started to accept local, guitar-driven music again.”
The band also remembers a close-knit scene where musicians regularly crossed paths at bars and supported one another by singing each other’s songs. That sense of community formed part of the environment in which Papunta Pabalik took shape, at a time when independent music had a growing presence in the local music landscape.
A decade later, Autotelic’s own dynamic has changed alongside the lives of its members. Villena says the group has become more considerate of one another, with decisions made through conversations and mutual agreement. The experience of repeatedly performing songs from the debut album has also reinforced how much those tracks mean to their audience.
“Maraming nagbago sa buhay namin after more than a decade. Mga kanya-kanyang transitions sa personal lives,” Villena says. “Ang pinaka nagbago sa amin ay ‘yung pakikitungo namin sa isa’t-isa. Mas naging respectful at understanding kami, at bawat decisions ng banda ay pinag-uusapan at laging pinagkakasunduan.”
(“There have been many changes in our lives after more than a decade, individually in our personal lives. What has changed the most is the way we deal with each other as bandmates. We’re more respectful and understanding, and every decision we make is talked about and agreed upon.”)
For keyboardist EJ Edralin, those years have brought a shift toward a simpler, more intentional approach to making music. He has also grown more comfortable with imperfections that might once have called for extensive refinement, particularly at a time when technology and artificial intelligence are changing how music can be created.
“Musically and personally, mas inclined na ako sa less is more na approach,” Edralin says. “Mas simple pero mas Intentional. Mas malawak na rin ‘yung pang-unawa ko pagdating sa mga detalye na akala ko kailangan ng matinding refinement at perfection. OK din pala na may konting human error, lalo na sa panahon ngayon ng AI.”
(“Musically and personally, I’m more inclined to a less-is-more approach — simpler but more intentional. I’ve become more open to some degree of human error in terms of details that I felt would need refinement and perfection, especially in this age of AI.”)
That perspective reflects a band that continues to learn from the music around it. Macadaeg says he regularly listens to new artists and studies how musicians from different generations approach songwriting, bringing ideas back to the group to see what might work. The result is a creative process that remains open to discovery rather than tied to a fixed formula.
The album’s title, Papunta Pabalik, has also taken on a different resonance with time. Its suggestion of movement and return feels fitting for a band revisiting the work that started a significant chapter in its career. Edralin sees the anniversary as a reminder of how quickly time passes, and of the importance of giving one’s best to the things that matter.
Macadaeg, meanwhile, considers 2026 the closing chapter of the album’s 10-year run. He sees the anniversary concert as a way to acknowledge the songs and the listeners who have stayed with them, while making room for what comes next.
“I treat 2026 as the final page of Papunta Pabalik’s chapter, and I think of the concert as a way to thank the songs and their listeners for having a profound impact on our lives,” he says. “I’d like to treat the following year as a new chapter for the band, where we can play new songs that we hope will be fun and inspiring to perform and listen to.”
For the October 31 show, Autotelic hope to bring the audience back to the feeling of discovering Papunta Pabalik while allowing the songs to reflect everything that has happened since. The band’s longtime lineup of Villena on vocals and guitar, Neil Tin on guitar, Ted Vargas on bass, Macadaeg on drums, and Edralin on keys and synth will revisit the album with a decade of performances and experiences behind them.
“We want our listeners to experience 2016 once again, but at the same time, acknowledge that change is constant,” Macadaeg says.
The band is already looking ahead to its next chapter, with a new album in the works. Macadaeg says the group is enjoying the process of making it, while Edralin hopes the music they have released and the songs still to come will continue to offer listeners the same kind of comfort and inspiration they have found in their own favorite records.
“Sana matulungan sila ng music namin katulad ng pagtulong ng mga paboritong music namin during our hard times,” Edralin says. “Sana kahit papano napagaan namin ang lives nila or nabigyan ng konting inspiration at push sa creativity and will to live nila.”
(“I hope our music helps our listeners in the way our favorite music has helped us during our hard times. I hope we were able to make their lives easier or give them a push in their creativity and will to live.”)
As Papunta Pabalik reaches its tenth year, Autotelic are giving their songs one more night in the spotlight before turning toward new material. For the band and the listeners who have kept the album close, October 31 will be a chance to revisit where it all began.
Autotelic: Papunta Pabalik Pa Rin happens on October 31, 2026 at 123 Block in Mandaluyong City, with opening sets by Mayonnaise and ONE CLICK STRAIGHT. Tickets are available here.
Listen to Papunta Pabalik below:
Frequently Asked Questions
‘Autotelic: Papunta Pabalik Pa Rin’ happens October 31, 2026, at 123 Block in Mandaluyong City, produced by minsan studio, with opening sets by Mayonnaise and ONE CLICK STRAIGHT.
Papunta Pabalik was released in 2016, becoming a defining record of Filipino alternative music and introducing Autotelic to a wider local audience during the genre’s rise.
Drummer Gep Macadaeg says arrangements continue to shift, with new parts occasionally added, since the original recordings only captured the songs’ earliest form rather than their final version.
Macadaeg treats 2026 as the closing chapter of Papunta Pabalik’s run, with the band already working on a new album it hopes will open the next chapter.
Autotelic’s longtime lineup features Josh Villena on vocals and guitar, Neil Tin on guitar, Ted Vargas on bass, Gep Macadaeg on drums, and EJ Edralin on keys and synth.
