Deftly building on the swooning indie pop of his viral hit “Binibini”, Zack Tabudlo navigates the highs and lows of love—framed by a global pandemic—on his heart-baring debut album Episode. “We really do have to live every moment we have because a lot of things can happen,” affirms the songwriter and producer. He glides from angst-ridden alt-rocker “Lost,” which he calls “a very open expression of hurt,” to the R&B of “First & Last” and the yearning, ‘80s-styled “Elizabeth”. The album is “a roller-coaster ride of emotions” and his tenderly nuanced tales help put it all into perspective. Below, Tabudlo goes into detail on each track and what they mean to him. Heart Can’t Lose “People have gone through trauma in their past and the commitment/trust has been sort of broken from it. Being in an active pandemic [presents] more of a problem to this situation but this track [shows how you can] ease the circumstances and vibe with what you’re feeling. LANY has [probably influenced] this track. The moment I thought of the idea of it, I kinda wanted the sound to be like what you hear in their Mama’s Boy album.” Para Sa Mga Ex “‘Para Sa Mga Ex’ is somehow the freedom you have after a long, toxic roller-coaster ride with a bad past lover. It’s sort of like a letter you write for yourself and everything you’ve always wanted to say. We all go through exes and we all go through pain.” Lost “‘Lost’ is a very open expression of hurt and what a person is feeling when they miss someone, even if it’s bad for them. When people hear this track it gives them more freedom to express what they really feel. This wasn’t supposed to be part of the album but I really wanted more out of the feeling of the whole journey that really gives a mark to listeners, that’s when I went full-on different styles and genres and [giving] more feeling to the tracks.” Hindi Ko Kaya “‘Hindi Ko Kaya’ is longing for someone and [having] regrets after a breakup. You suddenly realise that you really do still love that person but it’s too late. This one is definitely another difficult thing to really go through this pandemic.” Calm Me Down “‘Calm Me Down’ is the breaking point of a relationship, trying to calm down the situation and trying to get second chances. It’s more of showing and realising the love you’ve gone through and memories from the past to try and make the relationship work. With this one, I think it’s more of how I interpret the feeling of the story through music. I’m really proud of what I did with the track.” Binibini “[It’s about] spending all of your moments with your binibini. It’s all love through this song and how you can spend time with them in your own ways, dance with them through screen [sharing], laugh with them. It all comes down to your vision.” Ba’t Ganto Ang Pag-ibig “‘BGAP’ is about love with someone you’ve known for such a long time. You want to commit to your feelings but you know a lot of things will go down with what you’re feeling for the friend of yours. A lot of people can relate to this because of the pandemic and how limited our interactions can be with people physically, so this situation can be seen virtually nowadays.” Habang Buhay “Finding the right habang buhay for you, it can be a crush, your childhood friend, a classmate in online classes, literally anyone. Once you feel that something for that someone, they’re probably the one. It’s hard to find a habang buhay during these difficult times but they’re out there. The one that you will spend your forever with and someone you’ll take care of—habang buhay.” Elizabeth “‘Elizabeth’ sort of represents your all-time crush, probably someone popular, an actress, a beautiful person in school but is really hard to go for. Sort of out of your league but you know you have a chance, you just really need the time and opportunity.” Simula Palang Nung Una “This track is for the best of friends. Friends get jealous from time to time and definitely with the circumstances now, you really can’t give all your time with them because of the priorities and time you really need to put out. The track is all about being there for someone from the very beginning but loses the value of it because of other priorities or other people.” First & Last “Probably the hardest thing you can ever feel in a pandemic is this track. ‘First & Last’ is the broken promise [when] a partner you’ve been with chooses to break up with you despite the first-and-last commitment you’ve said to each other. It normally doesn’t go that way but it is possible with this situation we’re all facing. It’s not the way to go.” Huwag Mong Pahulain “‘Huwag Mong Pahulain’ goes to the parents and couples nowadays and the normal arguments they go through. The stress is kind of bigger because of the circumstances right now so this track is definitely for all these people.” High “‘High’ is all about being happy and being at your highest point of life, trying to live the moment with family or people around you, or even the situation you’re dealing with right now. We really do have to live every moment we have because a lot of things can happen. YOLO.” Give Me Your Forever “‘Give Me Your Forever’ is about true love and how you can show love to your partner in whatever situation. It’s how you can show your forever to the person you love. Whether it be virtually or physically, it’s how you do your ways and how you make them happy and make them feel your love with your own take [on life].”