Distant greetings across the ocean from a band called On Petals

Once in awhile an album comes out of nowhere and causes a bit of a buzz with online indiepop music fans. This album was "released" a few weeks ago...and a lot of people started asking questions about this band and where they came from. Is the band based in Manila, or somewhere in Asia or in North America? Anyway, before anything else, the band that I'm referring to is called On Petals and their album is called "Distant Greetings". I guess the individual members would have started their roots in Manila, then for a time, some of them were in Guam before eventually moving to the U.S. West Coast. The band was formed around late 2003 and now they are actually based in Stockton, California (just outside San Francisco).

Initial listen to the album (i.e. the first track, "Day Light Punch"), you would have thought of early 90s lo-fi indiepop ala Confetti or Tramway, or a thousand and one songs with girl-boy twee vocals and instrumentations but then you will notice the sneaky, cranking-up of the guitar on this song and this would slowly prepare you for the sound of the other tracks in the album. From the 2nd track onwards, the band would show that it wears its influences proudly on its sleeve and you can hear some great power pop moments here, not much in the 1970s Big Star or Badfinger era but in a more late 80s~early 90s Teenage Fanclub country or like lo-fi recordings of Yo La Tengo and The Lucksmiths or slow stripped down Jesus and Mary Chain.

The band combines distorted guitars, excellent harmonies and blissful kind of refrains on their songs and would start with an ever light mood and in a blink of an eye they'll just crank up the guitars and surround you in a wonderful wall of various textured music.

On Petals is made up of Christian Dasmarinas on vocals and guitars, Francis Samson on guitars and bass, Maria Redulfin on vocals and keyboards, Noel Dasmarinas on drums and guitars and Gaudy Glindro on bass. This Do-it-yourself 10 track album is the band's debut output and for this release they decided to put it out online...the whole album as a FREE Download...complete with matching CD artwork. Yes, Pepe, just go scroll down the page and click the links below...hurry, before it eventually disappears!

According to the band, aside from the obvious musical influences...they are also inspired by a lot of artists...from UK post-punk/New Wave bands like Echo and the Bunnymen, The Cure and New Order to American College radio heroes like Sonic Youth, Matthew Sweet and Ben Kweller, to OPM heroes Eraserheads and 60s bands The Beatles and Velvet Underground and ofcourse, indiepop bands like Belle and Sebastian, (90s Guam Indiepop band) Lampas Landay, Apple Orchard and Sodajerk!

The band is already hard at work on their second album which they said would be released (hopefully) by early or mid 2007. Aside from this online release, I'm not too sure how many albums they actually printed and if they will be selling the CDs too...So if you like what you hear and you want to get more info on how to own the real deal, a physical CD album of "Distant Greetings" or to email your comments or just to say hello to them, then just click here to contact the band!

One more message from the band to anyone who will lend an ear...
"We're a bunch of rice-eating, coffee made, filipinos. thanks for listening!"



On Petals - Distant Greetings
(CD/Self-Released / Lotek Records Lotek003/2006/US)

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1. Daylight Punch (MySpace audio)
2. Lovewave Holiday
3. Tenola Art Show
4. XB.102 (MySpace audio)
5. Fastfood Trivia
6. Love Domestic
7. Atrolotek Melodrama
8. Toaster Minutes (MySpace audio)
9. Transport Fairywell
10. Fastfood Trivia (Alt.Ver.)

To Download the whole album and artwork click HERE!