- Francis "Brew" Reyes
(http://youtu.be/WOjlaERX9SY?t=42m52s)
During the summer of 2012, Neil Tin, the lead guitarist of the post-punk band The Naked Lights, contacted Josh Villena, lead guitarist of the alternative rock bands Maya’s Anklet and Peryodiko, and told him about his plan of forming a heavier-sounding rock band. The plan was put on hold until the latter part of the year, when Gep Macadaeg, the drummer of the post-punk band Lip Service, told Neil about his plan of joining or forming another band. Together with Neil’s friend and bassist Timothy “Pabs” Vargas, who was then new to a punk band called Nouveau, the four decided to meet and discuss this project. Sometime in August 2012, they met together and discussed the plan.
During that initial meeting, they found a common interest in and appreciation for different influences, mainly dance music, Japanese pop culture and a desire to create a lasting impact on Filipino music. With these in mind, they agreed that they wanted to write and play songs that will be appreciated across the mainstream and independent music scenes and deliver something fresh to listeners. To attain that goal, they shunned the original plan of making heavier music and instead planned to make songs that will not only have a positive and exciting vibe through the conventions of electronic dance music, but also convey a sense of being truly Filipino in theme and orientation.
For the band’s initial rehearsal, Josh brought and sang his demo songs for the then-unnamed band to play with. From the runthrough of the first song, it became obvious to the band that they indeed shared the same stylings, influences, and direction; simply put, it just all fit together. However, in order to complete their sound and meet their goal, they still had to find a keyboardist who is well-versed in electronic music.
After rifling through and contacting artists from the Filipino electronic dance music scene, the band sought recommendations from Eric Tubon, who was one of the founding members of the Electronica Manila artist collective and synthesist of the progressive rock band Fuseboxx. Upon learning the band’s objective, Eric offered himself to be part of the group, and the band set a rehearsal for trial. During the initial rehearsal, which was also the first time the five met together, the band was very pleased to hear the rehearsed songs getting embellished by Eric’s much-desired synth section. The band’s voice was born.
In between rehearsals, the members had several online sessions discussing their future plans, fine-tuning the band’s sound, sharing musical influences, and finalizing the band name. After exhausting brainstorming sessions, the band agreed upon having the name Autotelic, which means doing productive things for the sake of self-fulfillment and internal reward as opposed to worldly and external motivation.
When Autotelic deemed that their material was fit for listening, they contacted people from the local gig circuit for opportunities to play in local music venues. A few rough gigs later, the band was happy to find out that the listeners appreciated their songs and recommended their music to other people. On one particular gig, under Paul Pajo’s Soniclogo.tv Jumpstart event at Route 196, Bel Certeza, videographer of local music website Pindie Music, recorded the band’s live set and later posted it on YouTube. This particular video recording piqued the interest of more listeners, and the band got more motivated in honing and refining their performances. In just a few months, Autotelic was able to play in more notable gigs and performances.
As Autotelic performed their songs in more gigs and rehearsals, the songs grew and evolved. The songs were no longer bound by the limits of electronic dance music, as the members contributed more elements of alternative pop, post-punk, progressive rock, and world music to the tracks. While the band built each song with their individual stylings, they still retained the essence of electronica at the core of their material.
On early 2013, Autotelic went to Point Bee studios to begin recording their self-titled three track EP. All-Filipino in lyrics and theme, the EP contains three songs that capture some facets that the band offers – the dance track “Misteryoso”, the progressive rock and R&B-tinged “Mulat”, and the world music inspired “Balik”. The band released the EP on April 20, 2013 at Route 196.
The EP’s tracks caught the attention of an even wider audience, and the band went on to become more known in the local music community. PULP Magazine featured the band in the Homegrown artist feature of their August 2013 issue, and in September, they were featured by Radio Republic as the Filipino music website's Artist of the Month.
On November 2013, Autotelic was chosen to become the front act for Australian indie rock band Last Dinosaurs at Black Market. They were also selected as one of the finalists for the Wanderland band competition and Jack Daniel’s JD Set.
By the end of 2013, Autotelic was featured in several year-end lists, including Radio Republic’s Picks of 2013, 8list.ph’s 8 Best Local Indie Acts of 2013, and Vandals on the Wall’s Top 20 Filipino EPs of 2013 and Top 100 Filipino Tracks of 2013. The band also managed to get airplay for their tracks “Misteryoso” and “Balik” at Jam 88.3’s Fresh Filter program. On February 2014, they played at the UP Diliman Fair for the first time alongside popular bands. They were also featured in the February 2014 issue of FHM Philippines as the Rising Band of 2014.
Recently, Autotelic released the music video for “Misteryoso”, which was directed by renowned director Enzo Valdez of Sindikato Productions. The band launched the video at Route 196 on February 11. They are now currently busy recording their debut full-length album, which will be released this summer.
Autotelic is Josh Villena (guitars and vocals) | Neil Tin (guitars) | Eric Tubon (keyboards and synthesizers) | Timothy “Pabs” Vargas (bass guitar) | Gep Macadaeg (drums)
All Night
Autotelic Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's a better place for you than to stay awake
You'll get closer to a paradise of dreamers in love
You'll get better like heaven has done something
So lay now, I'll take over the night
There's no teardrop, you can count on me tonight
Or I'll stay up with you
Baby it's alright
I'll be right by your side
No need to cry out loud
Nothing to cry about
Baby it's alright
I'll be just by your side
I'll keep you on my sight
I'll never leave 'til you sleep tonight
I'll cover you with my arms and hold you tight
I'll be listening to your wonderful and calm little voice
I'll keep watching 'til my eyes burn down
Baby it's alright
I'll be right by your side
No need to cry out loud
Nothing to cry about
Baby it's alright
I'll be just by your side
I'll keep you on my sight
I'll never leave 'til you sleep tonight
I'll never sleep, I'll never leave
I'm gonna chase this dream tonight
I'll never leave, I'll never
I'll never go...
So lay now, hear me all through the night
There's no teardrop, you can count on me tonight
Or I'll stay up with you
Baby, it's alright
I'll be right by your side
No need to cry out loud
Nothing to cry about
Baby, it's alright
I'll be just by your side
I'll keep you on my sight
I'll never leave 'til you sleep tonight
It's alright
It's alright
Baby, it's alright
It's alright
I'll never leave
Autotelic's song All Night is a soothing love song that reassures a loved one that everything is okay and that they don't need to be afraid. The song opens by urging the listener to say goodnight to the light and close their eyes, stating that there's a better place for them than to stay awake. The lyrics suggest that the listener will find themselves closer to a paradise of dreamers in love once they let go and drift off into slumber. The chorus of the song reassures the person that they are not alone and that the singer is there for them, promising to stay by their side no matter what. They also offer to hold them tight and listen to their voice until they sleep.
Throughout the song, the singer emphasizes their commitment to staying awake for as long as it takes for their loved one to feel safe and secure enough to sleep. They vow never to leave or go away, indicating that they will always be there for their partner. Overall, the song is a tender and heartfelt declaration of love and the deep sense of companionship that the singer feels for their loved one.
Line by Line Meaning
Tell your goodnight to the light and close your eyes
Bid goodnight to the light and shut your eyes. It's high time you relinquish wakefulness.
There's a better place for you than to stay awake
Your mind deserves better than to stay active. Sleep will take you to a better place.
You'll get closer to a paradise of dreamers in love
Your sleep will bring you close to a paradise of dreamers in love. A perfect and peaceful world awaits.
You'll get better like heaven has done something
As you fall asleep, you'll start feeling better as if heaven has done something miraculous for you.
So lay now, I'll take over the night
Lie down and relinquish the night to me. You can trust me to take care of everything.
There's no teardrop, you can count on me tonight
I promise you won't shed a tear tonight, and you can count on me for that.
Or I'll stay up with you
If you insist on staying awake, I'll stay up with you to keep you company.
Baby it's alright
Sweetheart, everything is okay. There's no need to worry.
I'll be right by your side
I'll never leave your side. I'll always be there for you.
No need to cry out loud
You don't need to cry out loud for anything. Just sleep peacefully.
Nothing to cry about
There's nothing in this world for you to cry about. All's well.
I'll keep you on my sight
I'll never take my eyes away from you. You're always within my vision.
I'll never leave 'til you sleep tonight
I'll never depart from your side until you fall asleep tonight.
I'll cover you with my arms and hold you tight
I'll embrace you with my arms and keep you held tightly. You'll feel safe in my embrace.
I'll be listening to your wonderful and calm little voice
I'll listen to your sweet little voice that's calm and composed. It's a soothing sound to my ears.
I'll keep watching 'til my eyes burn down
I'll keep a watchful eye on you until my eyes tire out and burn.
I'll never sleep, I'll never leave
I'll never close my eyes in sleep, and I'll never abandon you. I'll always hold the fort.
I'm gonna chase this dream tonight
I'm determined to make sure that you dream the most beautiful dreams tonight.
It's alright
Relax, everything's fine. There's nothing to worry about.
I'll never go...
I'll always be there for you. You'll never have to face anything alone.
So lay now, hear me all through the night
Go to bed and hear my comforting voice throughout the night. You're in safe hands.
Contributed by Camden V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.