By the time IV OF SPADES finally stepped back into a room together, Zild Benitez had already lived several artistic lives. In the years following the band’s dissolution, he became one of the most prolific and consistent Filipino solo artists of his generation — writing, arranging, and producing albums that expanded the vocabulary of local alternative pop. Yet even in that period, something remained unchanged: “Nung nag-separate ways kami, ang nilu-look up ko pa ring music is ‘yung sa kanila.”
It’s an admission that says more about his relationship with Blaster, Unique, and Badjao than any dramatic reunion headline could. He recalls the awkward years when speaking openly about the band felt off-limits. Interviewers would ask who he wanted to collaborate with. He couldn’t say it then, but now he’s candid: “Realistically, sila talaga ‘yung gusto kong ka-collab. Kasi nire-respect ko ‘yung craft nila, ‘yung talent nila.”
That mutual respect would become the blueprint for the band’s reconciliation — a gradual thawing that began backstage at gigs, through casual hangs, and eventually through the music itself. What surprised him most wasn’t just the easing of old tensions but the musical clarity that emerged from working together again. “Nagki-click kami musically,” he explains.
“Friendship-wise, medyo kaya na namin maging open sa isa’t isa,” he adds. “Feeling namin ‘yun na ‘yung perfect timing.”
Photographed by Shaira Luna. On Zild: Le Ngok Flowing line jacket. Urban Revivo Pants.
The timing felt right not only emotionally but practically. “From a business standpoint, free agents naman kaming lahat,” he discloses, a small detail that quietly underscores the band’s regained autonomy after years of separate label obligations and creative commitments. What they found in that freedom was the permission to start fresh.
When they entered the studio for what would become Andalucia, Zild realized how much they had all grown. Watching each member track vocals or experiment with riffs was a revelation. “Doon ko nalaman na ang gagaling pa rin nila,” he says. “May iba’t ibang flow rin.” He speaks with particular admiration about Unique: “Nagulat ako nung nag-vocal tracking si Unique — sobrang tight, sobrang linis — may boses na nahanap na hindi ko instinct.”
Even as the album took shape, Zild sensed their sound evolving in unexpected ways — particularly through shared vocal duties. One of the band’s new signatures, he says, came from old-school references: “Maraming mga vocals exchange… inspiration namin d’yan, isa is (The Beatles’) Rubber Soul. We’re a boy band.” He laughs at the last part, but the sentiment is genuine. Their new work carries a looseness, an unhurried confidence that their earlier material never quite had.
And when they finally released their comeback single “Aura,” he embraced the idea of subverting expectations rather than chasing them. “Anti-stardom ‘yung sound,” he says, explaining why the band decided to reintroduce themselves with a relaxed, languid tune. “Ang taas ng expectation, so binaba na lang namin.”
Now, as the band prepares to tour and share this new chapter, Zild is energized not by the pressure to live up to the past, but by the promise of rediscovering the band in real time.
“Feeling ko once tumugtog kami, may ibang energy ulit kaming ma-absorb,” he concludes, “para maapektuhan ‘yung next album — kung meron man.”
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.