Alternative Indie Rock from fernvie

Manila rock trio fernvie arose from an unlikely collision of musical backgrounds and the shared experience of isolation. Featuring the talents of Aaron on guitar, Dino on drums, and John on bass and vocals, the band brings together post punk revival, math rock influence and alternative rock stylings, creating a sound that reflects the different directions each member has travelled before arriving at the same place.

The beginnings of fernvie can be traced back to the pandemic lockdown, when John and Dino initially imagined the project as something small, a side project born from the dread and uncertainty of isolation. Both were looking for an opportunity to move beyond their usual musical directions; John had been exploring garage rock and acoustic folk, while Dino was already the drummer of the post rock and math rock band shaw. Their initial experiment gradually became something more substantial as the pair began exploring what their combined ideas could become.

The missing piece arrived when Dino reached out to his former co-worker Aaron, whose background in prog rock and J-rock brought another dimension to the developing sound, giving the project a wider musical vocabulary and helping form the identity that would become fernvie. They made their entrance in 2023 with debut single “Love in the Time of Automation,” before following it with a further trio of well-received tracks. Now, with their fifth single, fernvie enters a new chapter with “Dito Muna Tayo sa Pagitan,” their first release written and performed in Filipino.

Produced by Kaloy Del Puerto, the track revolves around an energetic but hypnotic combination of post punk dance beats, fuzz-heavy basslines and layered ethereal guitars. Its instrumental fabric draws on shoegaze and modern indie rock while retaining the rhythmic punch associated with post punk vibes, resulting in a track that feels at once propulsive and suspended, an appropriate sonic setting for lyrics concerned with uncertainty and the difficulty of knowing where to go next.

“Dito Muna Tayo sa Pagitan” was written by John, fernvie’s principal songwriter, with each member contributing a distinct piece to its atmosphere. Aaron recorded multiple layers of guitar to map out the song’s ethereal quality, while Dino focused on creating the post punk revival dance beats and indie rock appeal. John approached the bass differently, filling the instrument with full chords and pushing the fuzz to capture the track’s shoegaze character.

Brought in by the strike of drums, the track slips into a hazy shoegaze-focused scene where jangly lead guitar notes drift above smokey textures and the steady patter of percussion. Flowing with mellow vocal delivery which threads delicate melodies into the arrangement while shifting drums introduce a rising sense of dance-tinged energy. Capturing a deft balance between dreamy aesthetic and invigorating momentum, it’s a stunning display of the band’s knack for blending various musical styles to create a sound that’s entirely their own.

Progressing through a smokey instrumental passages, intricate lead guitar work dances above the track, offering an engrossing moment of wholly absorbing music before the bounce of the chorus arrives again. With soothing melodies and slick ebb and flow, the track delivers an epic jam that’s memorable, immersive and highly original all at once. It’s a stellar showcase of fernvie’s musical vision and we can’t wait to see what this exciting band has in store next on their musical adventure.

Listen to Dito Muna Tayo sa Pagitan below

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