CEBU, Philippines — The release of Loop’s album Flirting With The Universe on July 2014, their first full-length effort, launched the indie band from Iligan into an era of moving countless fans to both tears and joy with their unique brand of heavy yet delicate rock music. To mark the occasion of the album’s tenth year, Loop has released a Decade Edition of the album, which now includes new arrangements, mixes, and masters of the original songs and the band’s latest releases.
Having that fire to create really does wonders.
Kim Trinidad, vocalist
“Flirting With The Universe is when we truly infused our passion into creating a record,” describes Mich Pacalioga, who plays guitar in addition to also having done most of the sound engineering and production work for the original album as well as some of the new additions to the Decade Edition. “From pre-production to recording, and even producing physical CDs, we handled everything ourselves in a DIY manner.”
The highlight of the new edition lies in reimagined versions of two of the album’s most popular tracks, Lost and Adorable. The new version of Lost was lovingly rearranged by vocalist Kim Trinidad while retaining the essence of the song that made fans fall in love with it. “I wanted Lost to have more atmosphere using silence as a contrast,” she describes, “but I wanted to make sure it still genuinely sounded like Loop.”
On the other hand, the new version of Adorable maintains most of the dynamic arrangements of the original but was mixed with fresh ears by Cebuano producer Miguel Lim.
In addition to the two reimagined tracks, the decade edition also includes versions of Julia, Peppermint Mocha, Appalled and Disgusted, and Lite that were included in Loop’s self-titled debut EP which preceded Flirting With The Universe; an alternative mix to the band’s single Slow, which was released at the height of the pandemic shortly before the band’s hiatus; and the band’s latest single, Heroine and Solitude.
With due recognition for their succeeding efforts, such as the equally beloved Reality and Dreams released in 2017, Flirting With The Universe undoubtedly still holds its own special place in the hearts of both fans and the band’s members themselves.
“I think about all the people who genuinely loved the album, some of whom have become close friends and even like family to us,” Pacalioga mused. “The journey has been filled with unforgettable moments and deep connections that have enriched our lives in countless ways.”
“Being reminded that this album is ten years old makes me feel so goddamn ancient, but wiser,” adds Trinidad. “I know a lot more about music now than I did a decade ago, and I’m much more appreciative of what we created given the knowledge we had. Having that fire to create really does wonders.”
Flirting With The Universe (Decade Edition) is now available on all major digital music platforms including Spotify, Bandcamp, and YouTube.