The Ransom Collective breaks silence with “Tongue Tied”

Written in 2020 and finished across multiple cities and studios, the track marks the band’s first official release in four years

The Ransom Collective returns with a new single, “Tongue Tied,” their first official release after a four-year hiatus. The bossa-infused, indie pop track feels like a gentle reopening of a well-worn photo album: familiar, warm, and unexpectedly alive.

The band hasn’t been together in the way they used to, but this release is a choice to look back with gratitude and to move forward with intention: a snapshot of who they were and a reminder of what still connects them.

“Tongue Tied actually lived in the studio for more than three years,” the eclectic six-piece collective shares in a press statement. “We recorded parts of it even before the pandemic. We had to shelve it as the band slowed down and some of us moved out of town. We started picking production back up remotely, recording from different studios and spaces, then eventually finished it in Manila in late 2025.”

The Ransom Collective’s Muri teases the release of her newest single “Afternoon” ahead of her debut EP

The violinist/singer-songwriter sets sight on dropping her first solo EP this year

The Ransom Collective’s Muri is slated to drop “Afternoon,” the first single off her upcoming debut EP to be released this year.

The Filipino singer-songwriter and violinist teased the project’s date of release on her social media accounts, along with the song title.

According to Muriel Gonzales, “Afternoon” was inspired by her personal experiences as a young woman navigating career and life challenges entirely on her own, in a country far away from home.

“I’ve been working on this song for quite a while,” she admits. “Without revealing too much about the creative and thought process behind Afternoon, I actually find it freeing to open up about being vulnerable and share a piece of myself through songwriting. Sometimes, expressing what you really feel helps you gain a deeper understanding of yourself as a person and as an artist. Making the entire track was both a journey and a reflection. I can’t wait to share it with the rest of the world.”

GNN wraps up 2023 with intimate show featuring The Ransom Collective, SOS, Ang Bandang Shirley, and more!

Photo by Ted Orsenado

After staging concert productions and special shows featuring some of the most iconic bands in the Philippines and overseas, GNN wraps up the year with their annual year-end event happening at 123 Block in Mandala Park, Mandaluyong City, on December 15, 2023 (Saturday), at 7 p.m. onwards.

Keeping things closer to home this time around, the Manila-based production outfit will be holding an intimate show with some of their favorite collaborators on the bill, including The Ransom Collective and Oh, Flamingo!, whom GNN has worked with for their sold-out tenth anniversary concert this year; SOS, Ang Bandang Shirley, and Ciudad—three of the bands that were part of GNN’s journey when they were just starting out as an indie production doing bi-monthly shows in Route and Saguijo in 2015.