The Sundown, a band from Cebu’s burgeoning music scene, is gaining a reputation for their musical prowess on stage and off, and there is no better way to demonstrate their abilities than this fresh take on a classic pop form. “Last Dance” is a power ballad that evokes those slow dances at prom night, the moment when a love song comes on and a couple takes to the floor. In fact, Aaron, the band’s lead singer, tells us that this song is so true to this experience that some of the lines were actually uttered by one of them!
Listeners might wonder if “Last Dance” does remind them of an era where the power ballad reigned supreme on the pop charts (and we may add, on Philippine FM radio at that time). The 1980s were a potent time for this form, with soaring vocals and memorable melodies giving voice to potent emotional themes. The Sundown says that their inspirations indeed drew from prominent acts of that era who were masters of the form, including Phil Collins, U2, Roxette, and Berlin.
In “Last Dance,” the Sundown takes on a very emotional experience that fits the song’s sound. “For us, it’s an extreme moment emotionally, because you are living [on borrowed time] with someone,” Vincent says, “It’s your last chance, and you don’t know if you’ll see each other again or not.” Gino [surname], the band’s [role?] adds that the song illustrates the reality of heartbreak. “It doesn’t have to be a romantic relationship,” he says, “It can be any kind of relationship.” He concludes by saying that the song says that it is fine to be vulnerable.
While “Last Dance” is the sort of song that will indeed find a place on the dance floor on prom night, Gino offers an alternative location where one could hear it: “a rainy Saturday afternoon in the mountains.” For that matter, if this song appears on a road trip playlist, it is the sort of song that one can sing along to with abandon. After all, good pop songs like this work that way.
“Last Dance” by the Sundown is now out on all major streaming platforms under Island Records Philippines.