Pinoy alternative pop sensation Cup of Joe is having a surreal 2025 so far. They’re releasing their highly anticipated album Silakbo today, ahead of their two-day sold-out solo show at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on February 8 & 9, 2025. As if it couldn’t get any better (or busier!), the humble quintet from Baguio is also preparing for a series of regional tours in Baguio, Davao, and Cebu. That’s certainly multiple ways to usher in the new year!

Every fan has a reason why they fell in love with the five-piece. It could be everything, really – the moving, beautiful lyricism in Tagalog, the haunting music paired with Gian Bernardino and Raphaell Ridao’s impressive vocals, or just the charm of five friends hanging out and fulfilling their dreams. Cup of Joe has redefined OPM in their own way, and Silakbo is just the beginning.

Silakbo the Album

“Silakbo” is a Tagalog word that describes a “sudden outburst of intense emotion,” the sort of feeling reserved for the moments you’re angry, passionate, or unexpectedly overwhelmed with too many emotions. Silakbo, the album, is a lot like that. The band takes listeners through the five stages of grief – denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance – through a masterfully crafted tracklist. It’s an outburst of emotions. It’s sung as a barrage of memories you’ve tried to bury but couldn’t get past. It’s full of tracks that will touch your soul. We’re not exaggerating – it’s that profound.

Ahead of the album release, Cup of Joe met with the media to explain the story behind each of their songs. Silakbo has ten tracks divided into five parts to mirror the five stages of grief. Here’s what they said about their songs:

Denial: “Bagyo”, “Wine”

Their opening track, “Bagyo”, features tempestuous opening notes and equally emotional lyrics. “It’s about clinging to something you already know is broken,” said Rapha, who wrote the song. “‘Yung gusto mong buoin kahit alam mong hindi kaya. You’re just clinging on to a memory and your imagination.”

For Track 2, “Wine”, keyboardist Xen Gareza says it was penned when the boys were having a relaxing night drinking wine which turned into a songwriting session. “This song is about how ‘di mo matanggap yung feelings mo so dinedeny mo na lang,” he said.

Gian hints that “Wine” features a unique element, a first for the band, so listeners have to pay close attention.

Anger: “Kanelang Mata,” “Bubog”

In Track 3, “Kanelang Mata”, Gian shared how the song is part of the Anger stage where a hurt person tends to blame the situation on others, when in reality, they have only themselves to blame. Rapha shared that he wrote the song during a time when he experienced a “solid loss and solid anger” towards himself. “Feeling ko ako yung dahilan kung bakit nasisira ‘yung buhay ko,” he said.

According to Gian, the Anger they focused on for this stage is self-anger, “which is the worst type of anger that you can experience.”

With Track 4, “Bubog” Gian revealed that he wrote the song last year based on intense personal experiences, making it the most vulnerable song he’s ever written. “It hurts when you think about how you can hate yourself that much. So ‘Bubog’ is actually about finding it very difficult to look at yourself in the mirror,” he said.

Bargaining: “Siping”, “Pahina”

Track 5, “Siping”,  was written when the boys were cooped up during the pandemic. “‘Siping’ means ‘to lie down beside’,” Gian explained. “It’s about wishing to lie down beside someone just for one night, kahit hindi na maulit. You’re that desperate na maramdaman yung presence niya.”

For Track 6, “Pahina”, guitarist CJ Fernandez says he was especially proud of the song since it was inspired by his experiences.

“The song is about viewing someone as the most remarkable chapter of your life,” explained Gian. “‘Yung chapter niya [in your life] ‘yung pipiliin mong balik-balikan. It’s also about pleading to that person na patuloy kong panghahawakan ‘yung mga salitang sinabi mo sa’kin. It’s pleading na kung hindi mo na nakikita yung spark, pwede bang isipin mo kung pa’no tayo nag-simula?”

“Bittersweet siya kasi parang galing siya sa sad memory tapos nagawan namin ng gano’ng sound na sobra kaming nag-explore,” added CJ.

Depression: “Multo”, “‘Di Maaari”

Rapha mentioned how he and his older brother Redentor Ridao recently experienced losing someone, which led them both to write “Multo”, the first single from the album.

“It’s about the memory of someone or something still haunting you. Kahit saan ka pumunta, kahit anong gawin mo, para lang siyang hangin na bumubulong, mararamdaman mo kahit sa’n ka pumunta. Malulunod ka sa ganun eh, at times,” said Rapha.

“Doon na mag-si-sink in yung lahat ng hurt. ‘Dun mo malalaman kung gaano ka-lalim ‘yung sugat, yung sakit,” added Gian about “Multo”.

Track 8, “Di Maaari”, was one of the oldest songs in the album since it was co-written in 2019 by Gian and Xen. Xen shared that it was written after losing a close relative who inspired him to become a musician. “We put it in the Depression stage kasi it’s the most honest song in the album. The point is, you have to be honest. Honest with what you feel,” he said.

Acceptance: “Hinga”, “Silakbo”

After you confront your denial and depression, it’s time to accept that things happen for a reason. “You are hit with the fact that there’s nothing you can change with what happened,” said Gian.

Their ninth track, “Hinga” is all about embracing the past and letting the hurt flow right through you. It tells listeners how you don’t have to cling to it and torture yourself over mistakes and what-could’ve-beens.

The album draws to a close with the titular track, “Silakbo”, which Rapha says was written overnight. “We were feeling the emotions of the songs – the whole album – throughout the process kaya parang it was only natural nung time na ‘to ‘yung pag-sulat namin [ng “Silakbo”]. Very proud kami dito kasi na-culminate lahat ng stages into something na… beautiful and meaningful to us.”

Why sing about grief and all its many faces? Rapha acknowledges that grief, in all its multifaceted forms, is an inevitable part of the human experience. The band felt the need to address grief openly, embracing vulnerability and demonstrating to their listeners that it’s perfectly acceptable to feel broken and wear your heart on your sleeve. And while grief might be overwhelming and at times feel never-ending, Cup of Joe wants to remind its listeners that it’s not a permanent state. After the five stages of grief, healing will surely follow.

Cup of Joe’s album Silakbo will be available on streaming platforms on January 17, 2025.

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