Now more than ever, the world needs some cheering up – and The Itchyworms aim to do just that for their listeners with the release of two new Christmas songs, “Have A Merry Christmas” and “Maligayang Pasko.”
“Have A Merry Christmas” is a classic rock tune that brings to mind the Beatles and the swinging ’60s. The lyrics, written by lead vocalist Jugs Jugueta, unapologetically strings together every Christmas cliche in the book to come up with a track that ultimately lifts the the spirits.
According to Jugs, it was inspired by memes featuring “Christmas in our hearts” singer Jose Mari Chan – considered by many to be the Philippines’ king of Christmas music.
“When the Jose Mari Chan meme first came out, it was funny,” said Jugs. “But then, people just do it every year and it becomes not as funny anymore. Anyway, one time I posted a challenge to my Facebook friends: instead of posting about Jose Mari Chan, why don’t you write your own Christmas song? ‘Have A Merry Christmas’ is an attempt to do so.”
Guitarist Chino Singson added: “The melodies are definitely Britpop, and our classic shuffle a la Akin Ka Na Lang and Chocophotoland completes the aesthetic vibe.”
At the same time, “Maligayang Pasko” is a groovy tune that takes listeners back to the height of Manila Sound, channeling the style of ’70s bands like Hotdog and VST and Company for a distinctively Filipino track.
According to drummer and vocalist Jazz Nicolas, the song is a product of the band’s musical experimentation.
“I was very excited to use a combination of a vocoder, which is sort of a voice synthesizer and a text-to-speech type program to sing the chorus harmonies with us. I programmed 3 tracks of text-to-speech saying ‘mah lee guy young pass koh’ and tuned each them to sing in harmony,” he shared.
The band believes that the songs – and Christmas songs in general – provide a much-needed sense of warmth in a holiday season unfolding in the middle of a pandemic.
“We need to be reminded of the joy and hope and the spirit of giving. It’s the time of year when the world falls in love, so it’s important to listen to Christmas songs all year round,” said Jazz.
Bassist Kelvin Yu added: “There will always be Christmas songs: during good times, it further uplifts us; and during not so good times, it can provide us with that warm hug that everyone needs come December.”
“I feel that Christmas should still be celebrated this year, especially with the important people in your lives. This year has been tough on everyone, and has made us all appreciate our loved ones, and we can keep them close and celebrate life with them every day, and not only on Christmas,” he said.
Listen to The Itchyworms’ Christmas releases here:
– Rappler.com
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