For a while, IV of Spades felt like a dream band – all retro outfits, disco lights, and that intoxicating mix of funk and mystery that made Mundo and Hey Barbara echo through the late 2010s.
They were young, cool, and almost too good to be real.
Then the dream cracked. Unique Salonga left in 2018, and the band-at the peak of its fame-was suddenly three.
The remaining three-Zild Benitez, Blaster Silonga, and Badjao de Castro-released CLAPCLAPCLAP! a year later, before they announced an indefinite hiatus in 2020.
Five years later, the four are back together with Andalucia, their first full-length release as a complete band. The title comes from Zild’s apartment, where they reconnected and started writing again – a fitting name for a record that sounds like rediscovery.
In a press statement, the group shared that they ‘needed to prioritize ourselves and our relationship first before working on a new project while we weren’t okay.’
They admitted, ‘It would’ve felt meaningless if we hadn’t fixed our bond before returning to making music.’
That honesty shows. Andalucia isn’t about recreating what they once were. It’s about learning to make space for who they’ve each become.
Unlike before, when everything seemed to move under one slick, unified mold, this album lets their differences breathe-and surprisingly, it still works.
Across 12 tracks, the album feels looser but more lived-in.
Tara opens with warmth and ease, the kind of song that feels like a soft welcome back. ‘Karma’ and ‘Konsensya’ lean on catchy, street-smart lines that feel grounded in everyday life, proof that the band still knows how to speak to a wide audience.
Then there’s Monster-a groove-heavy standout that brings back their distinct funk, sharp and swaggering, almost like what the Eraserheads might have sounded like in 2025.
It’s a comparison that doesn’t feel lost on anyone.
After all, Ely Buendia once called IV of Spades ‘the Beatles of the Philippines.’
For the Eraserheads’ frontman to say that feels like a quiet passing of the torch-a nod from one generation’s icons to the next.
IV of Spades describes Andalucia as an album about ‘flaws, people, and topics that often aren’t discussed openly.’
It’s also, as they put it, ‘more fun now because we have more songs. The direction is clearer, and the process is more collaborative.’
You can hear that balance of freedom and trust in how the songs move-each one distinct but still connected.
Even behind the music, they seem to have rediscovered the small things that hold them together.
‘What truly matters are the small things. Eating together. Whoever’s late buys the coffee. Sometimes we’d turn off the aircon, so we’d all be sweating while recording,’ they said.
Andalucia arrives ahead of their two-night concert at the Mall of Asia Arena on December 12 and 13, their first major show since reuniting.
For longtime fans, this new album and upcoming concert feel like catching up with old friends-the band they grew up with, now back together and sounding more themselves than ever.