“Pretty Loser” by Sheila and the Insects, an Ode to Unrequited Love

Fans of Sheila and the Insects (SATI) may choke on their drinks and swallow their tongues upon hearing “Pretty Loser,” the newest single from the alternative pop group. At the very least, the song will not fail to snag one’s attention, while putting one’s back up.

Leave it to SATI to break their lingering silence with an anti-love song. (Not counting solo efforts in between, their prior single came out in 2008, whereas their last album, Flowerfish, was released in 2005.) Twenty one years in the music circuit, off and on, has not mellowed the band. They still sound as belligerent as punks, with a light coating of jaded sophistication.

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“Pretty Loser” has the snappy drumbeat, edgy guitars and snarky lyrics – “If by chance you end up alone, well/ I think I might take you in for free/ … You’re such a loser but I don’t mind” – that one has come to expect from SATI. It’s their version of an “ode to unrequited love” (but one could also interpret it as giving unrequited love the middle finger).

If the song sounds a bit familiar, SATI started playing “Pretty Loser” in gigs back in 2005, after the release of Flowerfish (remember “Quick to Panic” and the mild insult “You don’t turn me on?”). An early version of the song was recorded sometime in April 2010 at Zzubu Recording Studios with Paul Cañada, intended for inclusion in a possible EP or full album.

The band, however, fell off-track (hence the rumors that they had disbanded) and the single was shelved until Ian Zafra decided to rework the song with long-time SATI collaborator Micmic Demeterio. Prior to recording, Orven Enoveso made a convincing pitch to add a coda for closure in the final arrangement.

Now SATI – Enoveso on vocals/guitar, Zafra on lead guitar, Wesley Chiongbian on bass and new member Vince Yap on drums – is “back” in circulation, with a tighter sound to be unleashed on the listening public in an upcoming Cebu-Manila-Singapore tour. Watch out for the buzz.

You can purchase a digital copy of  “Pretty Loser” here: http://lilystarsrecords.bandcamp.com/track/pretty-loser
Visit the band’s new official website at http://sheilaandtheinsects.com