an interview with social climb

Social Climb are a 4 piece alternative rock band based in Manila, Philippines consisting of Emilio Sena, Jeric Santos, Joseph Dineros, Jiggy Santos, and Neil Sandico. They've recently released their newest single "Moments" their sound is indie rock, but with pop influences. I got to talk to them about their musical influences, how they became a band, and their creative/writing process.

Hey guys! Thanks so much for answering my questions, how are you?

Thanks for having us! We’re doing pretty fine.

How did you guys know you wanted to be in a band? What made you want to start making music together? Emilio and Jiggy knew each other since high school and decided to collaborate on a song one day which would go on to become "Find Me" and decided to form a band, later recruiting Jeric, Joseph, and Neil. During our band rehearsals, we saw that we had chemistry as a band when we would throw ideas to one another and the other would compliment those ideas.

What I really love about you guys is your sound, and how different it is from other alternative rock bands! How did you guys go about finding it? Finding our sound wasn’t necessarily hard but we’re constantly trying out new things with every song release. We’re all fans of various genres and we’re all for trying out new things! And if they don’t work, it’s just archived.

How has your songwriting evolved since releasing “Find Me”? As time went by, we found out each others’ strengths and weaknesses in songwriting. We try to incorporate new influences on new song ideas every now and then.

You guys recently released “Moments”, which is really exciting. The meaning of the song carries a certain level of vulnerability to it. How did you guys go about remaining honest, and vulnerable in your lyrics? Since the song talks about childhood experiences, we based the lyrics off real childhood experiences which makes the lyrics true to their word or sincere.

Can you explain more about your creative process? Usually, Emilio makes a demo or Jeric makes an instrumental idea/demo and then we go from there.

When creating a new song which do you start with first? Music or lyrics? It depends on the song because sometimes we start with an instrumental or we would have lyrics for the hook and we try to build up from there.

When it comes to writing songs, are you more inspired to write about personal experiences or relationships? Personal experiences because they are easier to express when songwriting.

Is there a certain type of formula you follow when writing lyrics?

A: Not really. Whatever works in the arrangement.

When writing lyrics do you have a certain audience you want to reach? Or is it more of a therapeutic way to help you get things off of your chest? We have a certain audience in mind whenever we write lyrics but in a way it is also therapeutic for us to write these things into words.

What would you say are your musical inspirations when it comes to your creative and writing process? We don‘t listen to any music/artists while writing and arranging so we don’t subconsciously copy anyone.

Do you listen to any bands or artists during the creative process? A: No, we don’t because we feel like we’ll end up subconsciously copying them.

Do you believe that where you grew up has an impact on the way you approach music and how you write lyrics, and create music? A: Yes. We’re all from Manila, which is the capital of the Philippines, and it’s basically where everything is. The fast-paced, hustle and bustle city definitely gave us a lot of insights on life and such when we write.

What kind of music did you guys listen to growing up and does that have any effect on the music you play? A: Individually, we listened to rock, pop, and electronic music. We think it does have an effect on the music we play since they are our influences and we try to incorporate them in our songs.

What’s your favorite song you’ve ever written?

A: Joseph - Find Me Jeric - Colours Emilio - Find Me Jiggy - Moments Neil - Colours

If you could tour with any band or artist, who would it be?

A: The 1975, Delta Sleep, and Post Malone

I know it’s March already, but what do you guys have planned for 2022? What can we look forward to? A: Maybe an EP? Jk. But we plan on releasing more songs this year, just trying to find common time for us to go to the studio to record.

Last question, you guys are based in the Philippines which is super exciting since I’m also half Filipino! Who are some of your favorite bands/artist in your music scene there? A: We’re really into She’s Only Sixteen, Devices, St. Wolf, Our Inflatable Friends, and Gabba Santiago.

Words by Melody

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Listen to "Moments" here