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| Photo by Max Tayag |
Filipino post-punk trio Novacain are back with a brand-new music video for their latest single “Pusta” (“Bet” in Filipino), taking viewers on a whirlwind journey through a gritty reality, as the band navigates a brutalist and imposing Metro Manila.
Inspired by the band’s trip to Japan for a show, it serves as a surreal visualization of the song’s lyrical themes, which touch on ideas of consumerism, spending money impulsively, and the consequences of these actions.
“We were also inspired by brutalist architecture at the time and wanted to highlight examples of brutalism in the Philippines in our music video,” San Juan City-hailing alternative rock trio – composed of Lawrence Del Rosario, Kyle Enriquez, and Juan Granda – shared.
“We were fascinated by the ideas of minimalism and grittiness that this style of architecture represented. We also took inspiration from the history behind these buildings and the time period they were built,” the trio further reveal. In addition, the band’s fixation on these ideas also stemmed from their collective desire to go back to the roots of post-punk, as well as the concepts it stemmed from.
Visually, the band looked to the music video of “Overlord” by American indie rock outfit Dirty Projectors, as well as Japanese pop band Pizzicato Five’s use of film photos turned into moving pictures. Taking these ideas, the band resolved to try their hand at extensively shooting a music video in public spaces, with the idea of also calling back to the music video for their 2021 single “Control.”
Produced by KNYA Collective, the music video itself was a strong DIY effort from the band, with the members serving as the directors and working alongside Max Tayag as the director of photography, while Del Rosario himself taking on the role of editor. This small team, the band reveals, spent a lot of time in pre-production, with many late nights just meticulously scouting locations using the Google Maps street view.
Filmed in November of last year and February of this year, the “Pusta” music video was mainly shot across various locations in Metro Manila, with the band needing to carefully maximize their time due to different time constraints. In addition, they also went up against the erratic Manila weather, dealing with both drizzling rain as well as scorching heat.
“When the music video was released, it was as if I was able to breathe and be relieved because the process took a while, including pre-production, shooting, and editing,” states Granda, noting how proud they are of the finished product.
With the release of the music video, Del Rosario sees it as another motivating challenge for the band, especially with their status as an independent act. “We really need to put our work out there for the public, especially the visual representation of the song in order for it to reach a newer audience.”
“I’m very proud that we were able to be productive and actually do the song justice,” expresses Enriquez. “The very fact that we were able to all do this as a band and team inspires me and fills me with excitement and anticipation for what the future has in store for us.”
“Pusta” was released by Novacain last October 18, serving as the band’s second single of 2024. It served as the follow-up to “Panaginip Ko” (“My Dream” in Filipino) with Sexy Jay, which came
out on April 1, 2024.
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