Hastang of Yesteryears

This is part 7 of an 11-part series. Guile takes a whimsical journey down memory lane, retracing the bumpy pseudo-pathways that led to the final version of Hastang’s current tracks.

• The song that features the Mystery Chord. It’s right in the second pre-chorus, barely audible. We don’t really know what chord it is. Gaw, Galen and I just came up with it in the studio (amidst cans of San Mig Strong Ice). The chord is strummed downwards in 4/4 time signature and features a single descending note in an otherwise static chord structure. The funny thing is, we couldn’t remember exactly how we did it. Post-recording phase, we tried to decipher it whenever we play Drowned live. We managed to do an inferior clone but that Mystery Chord continues to elude us.
• Lyrics are by Hastang vocalist Tessa Manto, inspired by (er–) a certain event in her life. Why she felt like she was “drowning”, well, you’d have to ask her that.

Drowned

Lyrics by Tessa Manto
Music & Arrangement by Hastang

You were never here
you were always out
you were always running from the one you love
I was always careful
I was never wrong
But I let you in my world
Never even cared
Never even dared
Don’t know what you said
now you’re in my head
further to my bed
never felt so scared

and I can’t stop this now
can’t fight it now
what I’m feeling for you
I can’t help myself
I’m drowned again
I’m intoxicated with you

Now we’re all alone
in this haunted room
and we try to do what we desire
I was here for love
you were here for lust
It was never right for both of us

This wrong feeling I tried hard to hide
now it’s out i feel lost and drowned
I have never felt so wrong in my life

Hastang is a Cebu-based, female-fronted indie band composed of members Ria (vocals), Guile (bass), Gaw (guitars), and Makoy (drums).
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