I first came across Flu during a run through my discovery playlist.
“‘93,” a pop-funk track, immediately captured me with its ensemble of instruments and its take on beautifully organized chaos. What do I mean by that? Take a listen and find yourself completely overwhelmed yet absolutely enamored. This shot me down a rabbit hole through their entire discography and Flu became a favorite-at-first-listen as I fell victim to their infectious groove.
This unexpected discovery would coincide with the release of their debut album, “Time & Pace,” which included must-listens such as “Ain’t Hidin” and “Manila Bay” in an already non-skip tracklist. Yet for a band who came together as early as 2019 to just put out their first album—as it turns out “Time & Pace” means a whole lot more than just a title.
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(L-R): John Rae Rebano wears a Tommy Hilfiger polo and Calvin Klein pants; Dits Bautista wears a Tommy Hilfiger sweater and Calvin Klein pants; Deus Vergel de Dios wears a Tommy Hilfiger denim jacket and Tommy Hilfiger pants; and Randall Enriquez wears a Tommy Hilfiger denim jacket and Gap pants (via SSI)
Catching the flu
Flu is a four-piece band consisting of Deus Vergel de Dios (vocals), Dieter “Dits” Bautista (bass), John Rae Rebano (guitar), and Randall Enriquez (drums). All four of them studied at the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde where they took up music production, with the exception of Vergel de Dios, who majored in industrial design.
“Flu was actually a thesis project for the three of us. We’ve played in other bands together and by chance, we were also batchmates for that thesis. In that same year, I met Deus and we needed a singer,” shares Bautista. “Inuna ko talaga ’yung thesis nila,” jokes Vergel de Dios.
As for their band name, Bautista explains that they were looking for a simple one that was not only easy to remember but could also be easily pronounced regardless of accents. “With Flu, you can’t go wrong. Our music is also very rooted in rhythm and groove, so we also wanted something contagious.”
Deus Vergel de Dios in a Gap shirt (via SSI)
Randall Enriquez wears a Tommy Hilfiger top, a Tommy Hilfiger cardigan, and Gap pants (via SSI)
Each of the band’s members, as “Time & Pace” suggests, also found their way into music at varying points in their lives. Vergel de Dios did not have any professional vocal training, barring a summer of voice lessons, but grew to find a knack for singing from his lolo’s karaoke bar in the province.
Bautista grew up in a musical household but only picked up the bass during his last year in high school. Enriquez started out with classical piano but after trying out virtually every band-related instrument, fell in love with the drums. And Rebano developed his musical sensibilities by playing for a local church band.
John Rae Rebano wears a Calvin Klein top and pants (via SSI)
Dits Bautista in a Tommy Hilfiger pullover and Calvin Klein pants (via SSI)
Five years in the making
The pandemic may be a bygone memory for some—a fever dream at this point—but for Flu, it signaled an indefinite pause to their young careers. After finishing their thesis in 2019, they continued together as a band and worked on their debut album—until the lockdowns put everything on hold the following year.
Fast forward to 2022, the quartet decided to reconvene and resume their preparations for the debut. As they were constructing the album, Bautista recalls a decision they had to make. “We already had four singles out. Should we make new songs or reuse them,” referring to “Fine Day,” “Get Down,” “‘93,” and “Is This the Love That I Need.”
In the end, Flu thought it best to re-record their older tracks together with new ones. The band credits the successful production of “Time & Pace” to Ghabriel Gorayeb, who helped produce the album together with Bautista and Enriquez—Gorayeb also performs live with the band.
Ghabriel Gorayeb in a Gap pullover (via SSI)
“That’s why it’s called ‘Time & Pace’ because all the songs were born in different eras,” explains Bautista. “Some were five years old and reworked a lot, but some were only a month or two old, and we only had a few sessions to finish them.”
But outside the recording studio, the band also believes that the album mirrors their experiences. “A lot of it comes from us four as individuals. The pandemic happened, and we all went home to our hometowns—but now, we’re back here again doing the same things, but as new people with a new identity,” shares Bautista. “Some started a new job, some quit their job, some got married, and some have kids. Life outside music happens.”
The band is generally split between “Ain’t Hidin” and “Disco Miscommunication” as being their favorite from “Time & Pace”
A passion and groove so infectious
Flu’s very name evokes the rhythm and groove they’re trying to spread to their listeners. However, for the band, each member’s passion for music is just as contagious.
When asked about the biggest thing they learned during the making of “Time & Pace,” Vergel de Dios shares that it was discovering his own ineptitude. “Compared to live singing, recorded singing is a different beast. Everything is microscoped in the recording studio so it was very challenging for me, especially with Ghabriel and Randall having super sharp ears.”
But for more experienced musicians, Bautista, Rebano, and Enriquez all shared a similar sentiment: of learning to coexist and doing what’s best for the band. “In recording an album, it’s not about what I just prefer but what fits with the song,” says Rebano. “Most of the songs are very vocal-driven—the instruments are just the bed, which is the intention. So if my parts on drums are super boring—but it’s what fits with the song—that’s what I’ll do,” adds Enriquez.
(L-R): Dits Bautista and Randall Enriquez wear Tommy Hilfiger sweaters and Calvin Klein pants; John Rae Rebano wears a Calvin Klein cardigan and pants; and Deus Vergel de Dios wears a Gap polo and pants, and a Calvin Klein cap
Vergel de Dios also shares he holds a soft spot for “Disco Miscommunication,” the album’s second-to-the-last track. “I had a hard time during the recording for it. It was very humbling. Ang dami ko pa kailangan gawin para maging magaling na singer.”
But criticism alone wasn’t enough to discourage him. This instead pushed him to improve—offering us a peek into the band’s cheerful dynamic and how they build each other up rather than tearing one another down. “Since I’m not musically trained, that’s where I saw how to truly become a musician like them—how to become prepared for recordings, practicing your parts. They’re perfectionists, microscopic—it made me want to do well and catch up to them,” says Vergel de Dios.
“We’re just simple dudes who are fans and nerds of music,” says Randall Enriquez
For a band whose journey has only truly begun, Flu does not have their eyes set on charts or stadiums but on being a part of their listeners’ lives one song at a time.
“It’s okay if they don’t know Flu the band but know our songs. Maybe it became an anthem or maybe it became a part of their lives at some point, I just want the songs to resonate as deeply as possible with the people who need it,” says Bautista.
“We’re just simple dudes who are fans and nerds of music—a bunch of passionate people who like what they do regardless of whether or not they’re known,” adds Enriquez.
A love for one’s craft goes a long way. It is not only infectious and admirable but is much more noticeable than anything done half-heartedly. With Flu finding their footing as a band and with the promise of new musicwinzir, something tells me they’ll be setting much higher goals for themselves in the years to come.