“COMETS” is an emotional track that conveys the ephemeral nature of relationship fallouts and disconnections. While the song looks back at memories with mixed feelings of loss and pensiveness, the experience that it brings offers a bright promise of hope and acceptance, no matter the end result.

“Though mostly dwelling on that feeling of loss, the song ends with the hopeful realization of gratitude—being thankful for ever having experienced any of it at all,” Ben&Ben explains in a press statement.

According to Paolo Benjamin and Miguel Benjamin, the songwriters’ behind “COMETS,” the pop-rock tune was inspired by the many losses of people that they’ve encountered in different parts of their lives over the past four years: breakups, end of friendships, parting ways with professional relationships.

“With each loss comes a painful process of asking why the nature of life is as such,” reveals Ben&Ben. “The answer is hardly ever straightforward, but reveals itself over long periods of time. COMETS is an expression of that very journey, and hopes to help the listener through these realities in their lives too.”

“COMETS” has gone through several iterations since the band started jamming it together in the latter parts of 2021. The Filipino band admits that it’s one of the songs that they’ve spent the longest trying to fine tune and play around with, in terms of arrangement and song structure. Eventually, Ben&Ben found the right musical direction and vision for the song, pulling from their own experience of loss to settle on a version that they’re most comfortable working with.

The Sa Susunod Na Habang Buhay hitmakers eventually recruited Indonesian producer Petra Sihombing to be part of the project, adding final but pivotal touches to the track.

“He flew in to help us bring the song to the next level, with his own additions in both the arrangement and post production of the track,” the nine-piece collective recounts. “The band probably had about 90% of the song down, but it was Petra's very weighty 10% that really helped make the song what it is now.”

A message to LIWANAG

The band hopes that LIWANAG, their fanbase, would resonate to the parting words of the song, particularly the lines, “though these nights are turning gray, still I am thankful for what's passed I know there will come a day when I will finally understand.” For Ben&Ben, gratitude and hope can come without totally understanding the "whys" behind it all.

“We're on the same journey of finding these answers ourselves — of why life is fleeting. And with that hope comes the strength and courage we need to keep going, to keep loving, and to keep on finding meaning in our experiences.”

Their new single “Tatlong Buwan” explores a couple’s journey towards healing and reconnection. It echoes the familiar narrative of everyone’s current favorite series, ‘Queen of Tears,’ which stars Korean superstars Kim Soo Hyun and Kim Ji Won.

According to Yael Yuzon, Sponge Cola’s lead vocalist and guitarist, the song serves as “a love letter, epistolary, or even a midnight soliloquy for one person.”

He explains, “Tatlong Buwan is inspired by the love story of the main characters of Queen of Tears. It helps that it’s a series; you really get to know the characters. You see why they’re the way they are. Sociological factors, family ties, trauma. You see how they’re all shaped and the push and pull of every character. Ultimately, there’s just so much clarity in the way the narrative unfolds that it’s so easy to empathize, which makes it easier to feel and easier to write.”

Yael wrote “Tatlong Buwan” immediately after catching the tenth episode of the smash Netflix show. He admits that the song reflects the urgency of the moment, inspiring him to write with newfound vulnerability.

“I don’t think I’ve ever said mamahalin ka lang, mamahalin kita in a song before,” Yuzon reveals.

The following day, he recorded the song over at Love One Another Studio with legendary music producer Angee Rozul, who told him to sing it in a way that is exactly the opposite of the lyrical mood.

“This actually made me sadder, knowing that it’s a love song that could sadly end in death,” said the Gemini hitmaker. “He had no idea, so the burden was all on me.”

After getting approval from his bandmates, including the ever-stoic Gosh, the band’s bassist, Yael Yuzon, sent the track to Joey Santos for mixing and additional instrumentation. The result, as expected, is a beautifully produced paean to a love that was once lost but is now found, growing stronger by the day even after going through so many twists and turns.

The song will also be released with a music video that is set against the backdrop of the key film locations in Queen of Tears. Yael shares that the entire experience was completely magical, a labor of love and an homage to one of the best K-dramas of all time.

“There’s something engulfing about visiting locations where great narrative moments took place. It’s like these places witnessed so much emotion that there’s still some of it left.”

Sponge Cola’s “Tatlong Buwan” is out now on all digital music platforms worldwide via Sony Music Entertainment. The official music video will be released on Friday, April 26 at 7 p.m. via Sponge Cola’s official YouTube channel.