Ben & Ben is back with their new album!
From competing at the 2016 PhilPOP Music Festival with “Tinatangi,” all the way to releasing their self-titled debut EP later that year, songwriting duo, real-life twin siblings Paolo Benjamin and Miguel Benjamin Guico, aka Ben&Ben, have made it their personal goal to make music that screams out, “THIS is the sound of OPM,” and even the casual listener has been catching on all this time, topping various streaming platforms and radio charts with singles like “Ride Home,” “Kathang Isip,” and “Maybe the Night.” And now, the nine-piece act has taken their journey to greater heights by releasing their much-awaited debut studio effort, Limasawa Street.
Derived from the Butuanon word “masawa,” which means light, the 13-track record embraces the beauty of finding luminescence in darkness. Lead singer and guitarist Paolo shares, "we wanted the album to represent a place of light by singing about hopeful perspectives in troubled situations," in addition to it being the name of a street that holds a special place in the hearts of one of their members, grounded with a deeply personal story offering the comforts of life and of home.
For a record written in a relatively narrow time frame, the twins were able to spend significant hours in the studio, with the rest of the band recording their parts individually for all thirteen tracks, taking them three months to finish everything, churning out an eclectic collection of anthems that challenged their creative process, with Paolo sharing that each song was tackled with a particular mindset, though without a clear direction, but ending in arrangements so far apart from each other, but maintaining that distinctive Ben&Ben sound.
Limasawa Street is out this month, and the twins sure seem set to take control of their destiny with a record that takes music-making to a road that was once less travelled, now ventured by many a seeker.
The album will be available starting May 17, 2019, and will also be available on their upcoming tour dates: May 17 at Marquee Mall, May 19 at Harbor Point, June 9 at Centrio Mall, June 15 at Ayala Malls Capitol Central, June 22 at Ayala Malls Legazpi, June 23 at The District Imus, June 29 at Ayala Center Cebu, July 13 at Alabang Town Center, June 20 at Ayala Malls Circuit, June 27 at Ayala Malls Solenad, August 9 at TriNoma and August 17 at Abreeza. Albums will also be available at booths near the concierge from May 10 to 12 at the following Ayala Malls: Abreeza, Alabang Town Center, Ayala Center Cebu, Ayala Malls Legaspi, MarQuee Mall, Solenad, and Trinoma.