ONE CLICK STRAIGHT preps for mini Asian tour

Signs up with The Rest Is Noise for global management

FILIPINO indie rock quartet ONE CLICK STRAIGHT has signed up with The Rest Is Noise for global management as part of their preparation for a mini Asian tour, with stops in Mongolia and Vietnam.

Over the past decade, the group has independently released two full-length albums and two EPs, collectively amassing more than 20 million streams on Spotify alone. Some of their most popular songs are “MRT,” “Paraiso,” and “Telepono.”

The band is composed of the Marquez brothers — Sam (vocals, guitar, songwriter), Toffer (vocals, bass), and Tim (drums, vocals, songwriter) — alongside longtime collaborator and friend Joel “Jpapi” Cartera on guitar. They recently performed at the AXEAN Festival in Indonesia, the Music Lane Festival in Japan, Bangkok Music City in Thailand, and All of the Noise in the Philippines.

PARTNERSHIP
Following the increased showcase festival appearances, ONE CLICK STRAIGHT and The Rest Is Noise’s partnership marks a major step in international expansion. The next stops for the band are the Playtime Festival in Mongolia and an event in Vietnam whose details are yet to be announced.

Under the agreement, The Rest Is Noise will oversee international bookings and management activities outside the Philippines, including artist development, touring, brand partnerships, synchronization and licensing opportunities, and other commercial and professional ventures aimed at expanding their presence in global markets. These will be undertaken in collaboration with the band’s manager, Eezh Arcangel.

“The first time we performed outside the Philippines was Music Matters in Singapore in 2019,” said drummer Tim Marquez at a press conference in Mandaluyong City on June 13.

“A lot has changed in that time, especially with our headspace performing abroad. Dati first timers talaga kami na parang ‘tara, bakasyon!’ (We used to be first timers who were like, ‘let’s go, vacation!’),” Mr. Marquez said. “Di namin nasulit (We didn’t make the most of it).”

When they returned to the same festival in 2024, he continued, they “had a different headspace and learned to value the experience,” participating in conferences and meeting new artists at the event.

As for The Rest Is Noise PH, which has facilitated numerous export initiatives for Filipino music artists to connect with music industry professionals abroad since 2018, this marks the first time they’ve formalized a global artist development and management partnership.

“ONE CLICK STRAIGHT is the only artist so far that has performed at this many showcases and commercial festivals in the last two years alone,” said MC Galang, co-founder of The Rest Is Noise PH. “The other would be Ena Mori.”

“There were growing pains when we tried putting ourselves outside of our comfort zone,” vocalist and guitarist Sam Marquez said, on what they have improved on over the years. “Talking to participants and delegates, sharing our music face-to-face. Those communication skills,” he added.

As a group they plan to continue being true to their form of expression, even as they go global.

“You could feel like there’s a world out there that you have to adapt to, but I’m happy, excited, and proud that we’re the most confident in our own skin and in the music we create. We don’t have to change for anybody,” said Tim Marquez.

However, this doesn’t mean being closed to collaborations. Their most recent song, “Trip Lang,” features OPM icon Raymund Marasigan of Sandwich, and they also recorded a version of “Telepono” with singer-songwriter Clara Benin last year.

When it comes to collaborations on a global scale, some of the musicians they hope to work with include American rock band Turnstile, Korean alternative pop band Balming Tiger, and Thai indie-pop trio KIKI.

WHAT LIES AHEAD
While the group have earned recognition from leading music publications and tastemakers in the Asian region, this is mainly because they’ve been performing at showcase festivals.

Their invitation to join the Playtime Festival in Mongolia marks their first commercial festival outside of the Philippines, since all their previous performances were at showcases.

“For showcase festivals, the promoters or organizers pick artists based on the merit of the actual music without banking on big names or their following,” Ms. Galang of The Rest Is Noise PH said. “Meanwhile, at commercial festivals, the promoters or organizers seek out artists who already have numbers.”

She added that this system of discovery is “the purest thing that tech can’t replicate, even in the age of algorithms and artificial intelligence.”

“Showcases are basically like mixers. They’re important for artists and music industry professionals and a good place to get to know what’s in the surroundings, to get different frequencies,” Sam Marquez said.

“We feel there’s still a huge gap between what we consider ‘export-ready’ artists — those who are ready for and have elicited interest from international markets — and these new audiences, which require a lot of investment, strategy, planning, and meaningful connections,” Ms. Galang explained, on the necessity of global artist management.

“Since the Philippines is still considered an ‘emerging’ market, we have to actively pursue, if not create, these opportunities.”

ONE CLICK STRAIGHT’s music is available on all digital music streaming platforms. — Brontë H. Lacsamana