Repentance 20th Anniversary Edition: A timely reminder of Jesus' Passion, Death, and Resurrection

 

 

Around four years ago, I wrote in length about the back story of the song "Repentance". You can check it out again on this link. This time around, what I would like to talk about is the process and the journey of how this new version came to be. If you have read our past blog entries, we have already revealed that we are revisiting our debut album and re-record the songs in time for a 20th anniversary release. 

Late last year, I traveled to Europe and passed by Switzerland. This was when I saw the breathtaking view of the Swiss Alps, and there was this cross on top of the mountain that caught my eye. This lone summit cross on the Tomlishorn, the highest peak of Mount Pilatus, a tourist attraction outside of Lucerne, Switzerland. And just below it, situated a small community chapel. When I saw this scenery, I knew I just had to take a photo of the scene and use it as a song artwork for "Repentance". This was what inspired me to release “Repentance” as a single. Personally, Repentance was one of the heaviest song on our debut album. The song was inspired by the movie "The Passion of the Christ" which for me is still the most jarring and visually stunning adaptation of Jesus Christ’s Passion, Death, and Resurrection. I wrote it as if I time traveled to the actual event taking place and started a conversational prayer with Jesus as he was suffering in the events leading up to his death. This re-recording of the song, a 20th anniversary edition of the song is updated with added soundscapes that we hope could bring more connection and emotional impact as we are driven to repent from our sins and become better Christians. 

Being not the musically inclined one in the group (though I’ve always been a huge fan of music), I gave Wilbert some of my ideas. And he did an awesome update of the song. We retained the core DNA of the song, that brooding, atmospheric buildup and did some technical polishing on this version to make it more striking. We always felt that the original had this muddy low-end quality to the song which we decided to tighten in this new version. We also worked on the bass line to feel more like a physical pulse rather than just a background element. Giving it more character. I then asked Thrina to give the song a more emotional delivery that will bring weight to the message. And she gave it her best vocal recording that truly gave justice to the lyrics that I wrote. Thrina's vocal maturity now as compared to the old version when she was just in her early teens has given a new life to the song. Her matured vocals give the themes of reflection and repentance to carry a different weight now. To hear Thrina sing the song now feels less like a younger version of her angst and more like a seasoned vocalist's conviction. Her delivery of the vocal layers in the bridge is now more precised. You can clearly hear the subtle harmonies that were previously buried, now adding a more spiritual, choral quality to the "repentance" theme. 

Wilbert's musical arrangement also transitioned the song from the old melodic verses into a distorted, wall-of-sound finale that now feels more explosive. Expanding the dynamic range and making the quietest moments feel more intimate now and the loudest moments feel more massive. I have always been proud of the song and lyric's non-traditional structure. It deviates from the usual verse-chorus-verse-chorus arrangement. We also attacked the song through a slow-burn progression that many modern tracks lack. Though I had fears that this might bore listeners now knowing that in the age of Tiktok reels and short-form videos, most listeners no longer have the patience to listen to the whole song. Listeners nowadays skip to the catchy melodies that instantly gratifies their aural nerves. But we stuck with what we feel could deliver the message. We didn't want to rush to the chorus; we want the chorus to be earned by the listeners as they go over the lines of the first two verses. By listening to the whole song, we hope that the song would help remind us of the day that Jesus died on the cross to save us from our sins. Each words of the song is a written recollection of that day. And when you finish listening to the song, we want the listeners to be left with this particular question:

Are we ready to do REPENTANCE and honor Jesus’ death and resurrection?

Hope you could listen to the song and make it a part of your Holy Week playlist. Just to help remind you that you are valuable and loved. Because someone died for you on the cross.

Listen to the song here.

 

To whom shall we draw our strength from? The story behind our song "Strength I Need"

 

 

This January 16, 2025, we are set to release a new song. A 20th Anniversary re-recording of our song called "Strength I Need". Strength I Need is one of the hidden gems from our debut album that features an upbeat melody with some funky guitars thrown in. It wasn't given much attention because back then, single releases were only limited to a couple of songs that you send to mainstream radio to help promote an album. And we settled for the songs "My Love Song" (carrier single), Earthbound Angel (a fan favorite), and A Brand New Day (which gained radio charts placement in our hometown Cagayan De Oro City). But with the advent of Digital Music Streaming, now we don't have to be limited to mainstream radio submissions for the song to be heard by a larger audience. So this accords us a much easier opportunity to give each songs a space to shine. And we believe Strength I Need is one of those songs that deserves the spotlight. 

The song is one of two songs in the album that I wrote that came from one of my personal conversations with Jesus Christ wherein I visualized myself traveling to the past during the passion and death of Jesus Christ (Repentance was the other one). When I wrote the lyrics of this song, I was kind of talking to Jesus during the time of his flagellation when he was condemned to die on the cross. Back then, I visualized my self to being present in the moment that led to his eventual crucifixion and death. I needed to understand the gravity of his sacrifice so that I would have a deeper understanding of how much he loves us. Of course, there are moments in the testimonies in the Bible when Jesus himself questioned God, the Father, why he had forsaken him. And this conversation was my attempt to tell him that there was a bigger meaning for his sufferings. And that God has a greater plan for him. Hence, if you would read the lines of the song, you'd see that I was trying to give Jesus (not that he needs it) encouragement to go on. 

But while the words I wrote here are clearly conversation that I had with Jesus, I also would like to emphasize that the message of the song also relates to our friends and the people at large who are carrying their own crosses. Because while some of us might be struggling in the lowest point of our lives, our personal stories and resilience can also be a source of strength to another. And just as when God redeemed Jesus in the end, when we put our complete trust and faith in Jesus, he will also carry us and redeem us through his love and the life that he gave up to save all of us. And this should be what keeps us going. That we should be able to remind ourselves that all these trials and sufferings that we are facing in our daily life is something that Jesus also once faced (albeit in much harsher conditions). And he had redeemed us all by dying on the cross. We could choose to carry our own personal crosses no matter how heavy it is, and triumph over it and make it as our testimony of God's love for us. Which can also become a source of strength and inspiration for another. But one will always wonder how? How can we redeem ourselves from the sufferings that we face?

And that's where this line comes in:

I didn't write these lines. These were late additions done by Wilbert as he was composing the music of the song. This is one of those perfect examples wherein during my shortages of words, Wilbert can be that complimentary voice who knows how and when to complement my deficiencies in songwriting. And I believe these lines was what eventually proved to be the heart and soul of the song. While it will always be human nature to rely on our own strength and capacities. And during moments when we are having our own tough times, we'd easily yield and surrender. We should only look up to Jesus and how he lived his life. To find strength and inspiration from it. And have a firm foundation of our Faith in Jesus. To truly believe that only Jesus can redeem us. And all it takes is to come and accept him as the only master of our life, then we can easily deal with our problems in stride. And utilize our personal testimonies of our encounters with God's love to help inspire our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. That the only truth that is worth believing in is that God loves us and that he has already foretold his promise of redemption.  

I think that's the only goal why I decided to share this personal conversation that I had with Jesus and turn it into song form with Thoughts And Notions. Now 20 years later, we're giving it a new life by re-recording it and making the song more beautiful than the original version (though I have some personal favorites from that old version). I truly believe that this new version will bring out the best of the message that we wanted to share. So we hope you could pre-save the song and give the song a listen. And join us as we declare that only in God shall we draw our strength from. And this is one story that is worth sharing to everyone that feels all hope is lost.

Pre-save the song here: https://bfan.link/strength-i-need