The old 'blood is thicker than water' proverb doesn't always ring true, but for cousins King Single and Angelo, familiarity has certainly helped meld their split EP, Pogi Split - Antok / Ingat.King Single (Robert Nedeljković) may be doing his lo-fi guitar pop thing in Newcastle while Angelo (Angelo Quizon) is based in Sydney, but their Filipino background and the connection they share, from childhood playgrounds to somber moments in adulthood, runs strong.Angelo starts side A with "Antok" ('Sleepy' in Tagalog), a melancholic track that bemoans the monotony of full time work and the tiredness that follows. The hum of drifting synth and spaced out guitar holds the sadness tight.Nedeljković takes over Side B with "Ingat", translated to "take care" in Tagalog, that pops behind looping guitar leads and Bruce Lee's disembodied voice preaching, "Under the sky, under the heaven, there is but one family. It just so happens that people are different." The last word echoes and fades into the sweet, 80s pop beat that sings in the background.We had a quick chat with the pair to find out more.Noisey: What's the best part about working with family?
Robert: Working with Angelo, specifically, usually involves me asking for his critique on my mixing, which is great because I know he's always going give me his most sincere thoughts.Angelo: It's kind of a lonely process when you're working on your own music. It was nice to able to bounce ideas around and show each other how things were progressing. Rob is a very honest guy and he already has an impressive body of work, so I definitely respect his opinion.What's the worst part about working with family?
Robert: I'd much rather veto this question, but… knowing that Angelo has always been a better guitarist than me.Angelo: I was the fourth cousin Robert approached to do this project. I did feel a bit of pressure to put something out there that Rob and I can both be proud of. He's also stronger than me and it's intimidating.How does your music complement each other?
Robert: We both share a lot of similar sounds in our guitar work, but still provide our own flair, and because we forced our music to coexist on this release, I feel each side naturally complements the other.Angelo: I think we sometimes share similar ideas and interests which can come through at different points in our songs, but at the same time you can still hear two separate people's efforts.The split EP is named in Tagalog and the cover is of your baby photos. Is upbringing and heritage important to the EP at all?
Robert: My upbringing definitely plays a part in all of my creative outlets, as well as my general persona, and the use of Tagalog/photo is a way to further flaunt my Pinoy vocabulary and heritage. "Ingat" translates to "take care", which I try to wish upon everyone I interact with, but the EP deals with a few of my personal coping mechanisms to display how I take care.Angelo: I don't really remember there being any original intention behind using the childhood photos, I think we just thought it was adorable at the time. Now though it sort of works as a nice contrast to the themes in the split—our current problems up against much simpler times in our lives. Using Tagalog words doesn't really have significant meaning in my side of the split either, but it's important to me to remember my heritage and I guess the use of Tagalog makes it more of a personal package.What did you want to achieve with this split EP?
Robert: Sonically, I wanted to revisit a few riffs I had created a while back, and build on those that still resonated with me. Lyrically, I always just want to be comfortable with my words and how they're phrased, and hopefully create music that people can latch onto.Angelo: The aim was to make pretty traditional pop music with lyrics that seemed sincere to me, and instrumentation that matched. I also just wanted to make music that I would enjoy listening to—droney pop music with some nice guitar parts.
Advertisement
Robert: Working with Angelo, specifically, usually involves me asking for his critique on my mixing, which is great because I know he's always going give me his most sincere thoughts.Angelo: It's kind of a lonely process when you're working on your own music. It was nice to able to bounce ideas around and show each other how things were progressing. Rob is a very honest guy and he already has an impressive body of work, so I definitely respect his opinion.What's the worst part about working with family?
Robert: I'd much rather veto this question, but… knowing that Angelo has always been a better guitarist than me.Angelo: I was the fourth cousin Robert approached to do this project. I did feel a bit of pressure to put something out there that Rob and I can both be proud of. He's also stronger than me and it's intimidating.
Advertisement
Robert: We both share a lot of similar sounds in our guitar work, but still provide our own flair, and because we forced our music to coexist on this release, I feel each side naturally complements the other.Angelo: I think we sometimes share similar ideas and interests which can come through at different points in our songs, but at the same time you can still hear two separate people's efforts.The split EP is named in Tagalog and the cover is of your baby photos. Is upbringing and heritage important to the EP at all?
Robert: My upbringing definitely plays a part in all of my creative outlets, as well as my general persona, and the use of Tagalog/photo is a way to further flaunt my Pinoy vocabulary and heritage. "Ingat" translates to "take care", which I try to wish upon everyone I interact with, but the EP deals with a few of my personal coping mechanisms to display how I take care.Angelo: I don't really remember there being any original intention behind using the childhood photos, I think we just thought it was adorable at the time. Now though it sort of works as a nice contrast to the themes in the split—our current problems up against much simpler times in our lives. Using Tagalog words doesn't really have significant meaning in my side of the split either, but it's important to me to remember my heritage and I guess the use of Tagalog makes it more of a personal package.
Advertisement
Robert: Sonically, I wanted to revisit a few riffs I had created a while back, and build on those that still resonated with me. Lyrically, I always just want to be comfortable with my words and how they're phrased, and hopefully create music that people can latch onto.Angelo: The aim was to make pretty traditional pop music with lyrics that seemed sincere to me, and instrumentation that matched. I also just wanted to make music that I would enjoy listening to—droney pop music with some nice guitar parts.
'Pogi Split: Ingat / Antok' is available now on Perfect Hair.The EP launch is in Sydney March 25 at the Chippendale Hotel with King Single, Angelo, Sponsorship and Marky Vaw.