Moonstar88 enters the multiverse with new album ‘Lourdes 2088’

Angelique Agarap

February 20, 2023

• 

  Filipino rock band Moonstar88 has introduced a new kind of listening experience in pop music through the vinyl release of their ‘Lourdes 2088’ album.
  
  On Saturday, February 18, the quartet held an album launch and vinyl release at Eton Centris. This included signing, meet and greet, and band performance. Moreover, this is in honor of their first album in ten years, as well as the their tenth-year anniversary celebration this month.

  
  
  In fact, the album is the first mixed reality album that offers a hybrid experience of music and modern technology, complemented by web 3.0 activations created in collaboration with GIGIL Metama, a web 3.0 agency.

  “Aside from music, may art ka rin na hinahawakan, ’yung physical ’di ba? And at the same time, we maximize the technology na rin, ’no? The NFTs and the augmented reality, kumbaga maraming senses ang mararamdaman nila dito sa album na ’to,” explains lead guitarist Herbert Bautista.

  Furthermore, ‘Lourdes 2088’ explores the concept of a dystopian future. This is a time where inventions go beyond the realm of science and even heartaches have a solution in order for people to adapt.

  
  
  Meanwhile, it’s title is a combination of two things. Lourdes is the street where Kodama Studios is located.

  “We’re not necessarily young anymore. We felt that the only time we are focused on each other personally, spiritually, and musically is whenever we’re inside that studio. So, it’s like a happy place for us. It’s a special place for us as a band,” says vocalist Maysh Baay.

  On the other hand, 2088 is the year they envisioned how relationships would be.

  More so, each track is represented by trading cards which allude to a different invention for dealing with heartbreak. These are PusoCal (BreakUp Scheduler), ReEMO (Emotional Baggage Recycle Bin and Editor), Freezer (Cryogenic emotional stasis headwear), to name a few.

  Additionally, Nelz Yumul, created the art for the trading cards as well as the album’s aesthetic. He is also the creative mind behind weewilldoodle, the Philippines’ premier doodle/illustration group,

  

  “When we were starting to record this album, I felt really unsettled. Parang we were really growing leaps and bounds. So, I would like to think that this is our best work yet.”
  
  ‘Lourdes 2088’ is the first vinyl release of the band. Produced by Raymund Marasigan and bassist Buddy Zabala, this was done in collaboration with The Grey Market Records and Backspacer Records.

  Time-travel to the future by listening to Moonstar88 here:

• COMMENTS