Mondo EP is about ‘trying to find light without denying the darkness’
All musicians, in a way, are the sum total of their listening choices growing up, and Mondo Castro is probably no exception. Launching from the ‘90s-era Pin-up Girls, Mondo has become a local stage feature with a new band that is as likely to cover The Lumineers as to evolve into loose jam sessions on a given night.
On their first EP, the sound shows a strong affinity for ’90s-type arrangements and vibe. Take the opening two cuts, Basagan ang Dilim and Kung Kilala, which are heavily laden with the type of riffs that drove Sandwich, Gin Blossoms, Fountains of Wayne, and other era-adjacent bands. Though largely interchangeable, the two songs pack punchy riffs, choruses, and drum dynamics wrapped in a soft-loud dynamic that works overtime to complete the assignment.
If there is a message to Mondo‘s EP, it probably is shown in the cover image of a hand holding aloft a lit candle. That chimes with the opening cut, and perhaps is why the EP aims to uplift in dark times. As their press kit mentions, the EP is about “trying to find light without denying the darkness.”
The press kit also offers “Core Themes” for the six songs, such as “love, recurring loss, memory, and devotion,” or “identity, uncertainty, resilience, and becoming.” Kind of a vibe guide for each track.
Mondo the singer seems miles away from the indie Pin-Up Girls here, conjuring breathy, drawn-out phrasing that is not too far from ’90s alt-rock (or power grunge).
Breathe in the Dark and the ballad-y I Always End Up Losing You almost seem like outliers, but allow the band to shine, with guitarist LC De Leon delivering nimble architecture and bassist Rizza Arales and drummer Marco Raquiza filling in the cracks.
What does this project offer you that the Pin-Up Girls did not?
MONDO CASTRO: The biggest difference is probably the freedom. With The Pin-Up Girls, there was always a very strong identity and a specific chemistry between the members. That was great, but this project gives me room to explore things I couldn’t necessarily explore with the band.
Writing all the material is also very different. It’s more exposed because every song is coming from a very personal place. But I also didn’t want this to become a Mondo solo record where everyone else is just playing parts.
The EP has a live sound. Where did you record?
We recorded the EP at Whosoever Recording Studio, produced by Wiwi Zipagan and engineered by Potch Zipagan, and we deliberately wanted to preserve that live energy. I didn’t want it to sound overly polished or like we were trying to fix every little thing in the studio.
LC was particularly important in that process because he understood the direction I was going for and was able to bring his own guitar language into it.
What might have inspired these songs? Any particular era or bands you were thinking of while writing?
During that period, I listened to a lot of Biffy Clyro, Fontaines DC, Jack White, and, weirdly enough, some Ray LaMontagne.
There’s definitely some ‘80s and ‘90s alternative rock, post-punk, indie, and guitar-driven music in there. Things I grew up listening to, things I discovered through radio, and things I’m still discovering now.
But LC brought his own influences into the guitar work and arrangements, so the final sound isn’t simply me trying to recreate something from the past. It’s a combination of what I’ve absorbed over the years and what these musicians naturally brought into the room.
The biggest inspiration, though, wasn’t really a particular band. It was life—relationships, getting older, loss, change, frustration, hope, and that feeling of trying to figure out where you fit as an artist after you’ve already been doing this for a long time.
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The Mondo EP is on Spotify.
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