Gabba Santiago – better known as half of Degs and Gabba, the Filipino band formerly known as Tom’s Story – has released his debut solo single ‘Puzzle’.
Released under the mononym Gabba, ‘Puzzle’ is a slice of knotty yet anthemic math rock – featuring a riff that Santiago has been tinkering with for at least two years. Though mostly instrumental, it does incorporate some vocals by Clara Benin.
The song arrived with a music video today (December 1) at noon. The clip, which was directed by Joshua Elefan and Santiago, serves as an introduction to Santiago as a solo artist: it captures the multi-instrumentalist playing all parts of the song in a sparse industrial setting.
Watch it below:
Gabba – Puzzle (Official Music Video)
Hello, everyone~ I'm super excited to share this song with you. 'Puzzle' is the first single I'm releasing as Gabba which has been both an interesting and challenging experience. I've been working on it for a while now and am glad that it's finally here. I hope you enjoy it!A digital copy of the track is also available via gabbasantiago.bandcamp.com.–Composed, arranged, and performed by GabbaAdditional vocals by Clara BeninMixed and mastered by Francis LorenzoProduced by Francis Lorenzo and GabbaDrums recorded at La Balls StudioAll other instruments recorded at HomeDirected by Joshua Elefan and GabbaShot by Joshua Elefan and Pierre ZipaganEdited by Joshua Elefan
Posted by Gabba on Monday, November 30, 2020
“The song is about seeing everything from a bigger perspective,” Santiago said in a statement. “It was very refreshing to have total control on where the music goes. Basically, it’s like building a puzzle without knowing what it will look like at the end. It doesn’t have that photo of the finished product that you see in puzzle boxes. It’s like creating a puzzle with unlimited pieces and no borders.”
‘Puzzle’ is the first single off Santiago’s debut solo album, which is due out in 2021.
Santiago is half of the instrumental duo Degs and Gabba, aka Santiago and Christer “Degs” De Guia – the remaining members of Tom’s Story following bassist Tom Naval’s departure from the band last year. He is also the drummer of indie rock outfit Fools and Foes.