Jim Bacarro, Cheats’ lead singer, guitarist, keyboard player, and composer of their new single “Kapit,” says that the lyrics of this song were taken from an experience he had in his early twenties. “I think that’s why it’s so simplistic,” he says, “because [at] that time, life was pretty simple, [so] you [would] desire something and you couldn’t get it.”
Jim says that “Kapit,” like much of Cheats’ recent Tagalog material, was originally composed in English, and if he felt like it, it would be rewritten in a different language. He says that this explains the general feel of the song, which evokes some of the songwriting of the Manila Sound movement in the 1970s. This is a track that has a very contemporary feel but stands in a tradition of original Filipino pop music.
Listeners of “Kapit” will discover not just the major sonic surprise of this remarkable track, but the way that Cheats puts it all together throughout. Their sultry vocal work appears against a perceptible backdrop of thumping Eighties-style synths, with the guitars providing additional texture. In fact, Jim has a suggestion for anyone who finds the single on Spotify and taps the play button: “Keep listening to it over and over again so you can understand what’s going on.”
Produced by Diego Mapa (Tarsius/Pedicab) and Sandwich’s Diego Castillo (known, of course, as the Diegos), “Kapit” is the latest Cheats track to give longtime fans and new listeners a taste of what to expect from their upcoming album. “I’d say this is the best album to date,” Jim says, “This is where I think [the songs] mesh well together, noise, melody, harmonies, and everything that Cheats is about.” The album is set to drop sometime soon, and if this remarkable single hints at what to expect, then this may indeed be Cheats’ biggest achievement in almost a decade of making music together.
“Kapit” is now out on all major music streaming platforms under Island Records Philippines. It’s accompanying lyric video is also now available on YouTube.