OPM band Over October moves story of hit song ‘Ikot’ forward with sequel ‘Bitin’

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

'Para sa mga hindi nagkaaminan,' the band describes the song

MANILA, Philippines – Over October just returned with a new single, “Bitin,” on Friday, May 2!

“Bitin” is the sequel to “Ikot,” the band’s breakthrough song that allowed their fanbase to grow tenfold.

The song tells the story of two potential lovers who have yet to confess to one another. Over October’s lead guitarist Joshua Lua revealed during a listening party for the song on April 24 that the story behind the song was based on the plot of the 2023 film Past Lives. The Celine Song-directed film sees two childhood friends reunite after several years and are left to confront the nature of their relationship.

“Bitin” is special in more ways than one. While it’s usually Lua and lead vocalist Josh Buizon spearheading the band’s songwriting, this time, the rest of Over October’s members Janessa Geronimo (drummer), Joric Canlas (bassist), and Anton Rodriguez (rhythm guitarist) were involved, too.

“Bitin” was produced by Shadiel Chan. Josh said the song started out with a more mellow feel, but transformed to a “heavier,” more guitar-driven track when they began arranging it alongside Chan in Baguio.

Buizon added that while the success of “Ikot” didn’t really pressure them to follow it up with another viral hit, they thought it was time for them to move the story forward.

“We don’t wanna feel forced to put out something because [it’s] gonna be popular or put this out because the momentum would go to waste. We try to still be authentic in that sense so it didn’t really affect it so much. But we just thought it was time let’s continue the story of ‘Ikot.’ We’re not only thinking about ourselves, we’re also thinking about the people that like listening to ‘Ikot,’ right? So it’s like, what happens next? Let’s give them a treat, let’s share with them the next part of the story,” he shared.

“Bitin” comes just months after the release of Over October’s eight-track sophomore album, Make Believe. – Rappler.com