‘We Are Imaginary’ finds clarity in restraint on self-titled third album

Filipino indie rock band We Are Imaginary has released their self-titled third album on all streaming and other digital music platforms worldwide via indie label floppydisks.

Produced by Joey Santos of Love One Another and Ahmad Tanji, the album delves into themes of identity, emotional reckoning, and acceptance.

Sonically, it’s a dreamy guitar-rock record infused with shoegaze and noise-pop textures: drifting through warm, fuzzy soundscapes before pulling listeners back into tension, doom, and angst.

We Are Imaginary was also recorded by Angee Rozul and Santos at Love One Another studio, and was mixed by the latter and mastered by Adam Haggar at Mount Olympia Mastering.

Frontman Ahmad Tanji describes the record as an internal monologue: one that begins in uncertainty and gradually opens into moments of understanding and calm.

Rather than chasing resolution, the 9-track release embraces the idea that not all experiences require closure.

“This collection also feels more cohesive,” Tanji reveals. “There’s a sense of comfort and confidence when we started laying down our parts. I guess that comes with growing with the band for 17 years and trusting the people you work with.”

On their self-titled record, the band allows itself to inhabit extremes: hushed passages give way to surging intensity, and vulnerability coexists with restraint.

The result is a cohesive and patient record, unburdened by the need to prove anything.

“It felt unforced,” Tanji shares, crediting the band’s 17 years together for the sense of comfort and trust that shaped the sessions.

Designed to be experienced as a complete work, We Are Imaginary rewards attentive listening. Its sequencing, subtle shifts, and quiet moments form a gradual arc: one best heard in a single sitting, on vinyl or through good speakers or headphones.

Tanji explains it best: “Angee Rozul worked with our taste and style perfectly as our recording engineer, letting us lean towards a more ‘90s sound this time around, while Joey (Santos) gave each song a massive and dynamic mix. We would exchange several drafts per song, stripping them to their most essential, capturing what arrangement works with the story.”

With this release, We Are Imaginary presents an honest distillation of who they are now: assured, reflective, and fully at ease with the space they occupy.

We Are Imaginary is a Manila-based indie rock band that has been crafting emotionally resonant, guitar-driven anthems since 2008.

Drawing comparisons to The Smashing Pumpkins with a lyrical sensibility reminiscent of Ben Gibbard, the band has carved out a distinct niche in the Philippine independent music scene.

Once known as Your Imaginary Friends, the band released two critically acclaimed EPs under their old name before rebranding due to trademark issues.

Undeterred, they signed with respected local label Wide Eyed Records, releasing their debut full-length album, Death to Romanticism, in 2016 to widespread acclaim.

In 2018, to mark their 10th year, the band released “Dekada”, their first single in Filipino, showcasing their evolving sound and versatility.

Following a pandemic-induced hiatus, they returned in 2023 with Swan Songs for Drifters, their fourth album, under emerging label Floppydisks—a record that reaffirmed their relevance and creativity in a fast changing musical landscape.

Internationally, We Are Imaginary has represented the Philippines at major regional events, including the Grass Tone Sound Festival (Thailand, 2015), Rocking the Region (Singapore, 2017), Archipelago Festival (Indonesia, 2017), and just recently, No Headliner 4 (Vietnam, 2025).

They have also opened for notable international acts such as Club 8, Moonpools & Caterpillars, and Beach Fossils.

Currently composed of brothers Khalid (guitars) and Ahmad Tanji (vocals, guitars) and JJ Rodriguez (drums), the band is all set to release their fifth studio album this January 2026.