IV of Spades

Quick Facts

Photo: IV OF SPADES – Konsensya (Official Music Video)

About IV of Spades

A Band Built by Fathers

In July 2014, guitarist and vocal-group veteran Allan Mitchell Silonga, fondly called Daddy A, set out to build a band around his teenage son Blaster.

He looked to the families he already knew from the local music scene. Drummer Badjao de Castro and bassist Zild Benitez were both sons of Daddy A’s musician friends, and Blaster and Badjao had actually been close since grade school. The final piece was Unique Salonga, the son of Daddy A’s former bandmate.

That lineage shaped everything. These were second-generation OPM kids raised on their fathers’ records, and from the start they leaned hard into a 1970s look and sound: bright retro suits, vintage tones, and a swagger reminiscent of acts like ABBA, The Beatles, and Tame Impala.

By the time they were gigging around Metro Manila, IV of Spades already looked and sounded like a band that had time-traveled out of another decade.

Mundo and the Retro Breakthrough

The band started releasing music in earnest with “Ilaw sa Daan” in 2016, then built momentum through 2017 with the strutting “Hey Barbara” and the disco-tinged “Where Have You Been, My Disco?” Their throwback funk stood out sharply in a scene full of acoustic balladeers.

Everything changed in 2018 with “Mundo.” The tender, slow-burning love song became a genuine phenomenon, and their live performance of it on the Wish 107.5 bus turned into one of the most-watched OPM videos of all time, eventually climbing past 170 million views.

The awards followed quickly. IV of Spades took home New Artist of the Year at the MYX Music Awards and Favorite New Group at the Awit Awards, and at the 4th Wish 107.5 Music Awards they swept Wish Group of the Year plus two “Mundo” honors, and were named the first-ever recipient of the Diamond Wishclusive Elite Circle award.

For a young band in retro suits, it was a staggering rise in barely two years.

Going On as a Trio

At the height of that momentum came a jolt. On May 5, 2018, Unique Salonga announced he was leaving to pursue his own path, and the band suddenly had to reinvent itself.

Zild Benitez stepped up as the new lead voice, and the remaining trio pressed on. In January 2019 they released their debut album, “ClapClapClap!,” a fifteen-track showcase of their range that included the swooning “Come Inside of My Heart,” a song whose reach would only grow with time.

They co-headlined a celebrated 2019 concert with OPM great Rico Blanco and toured behind the record, but the pace eventually caught up with them. In August 2020, IV of Spades announced an indefinite hiatus, and each member drifted into acclaimed solo work: Unique as a solo artist, Zild as a beloved indie songwriter and producer, and Blaster with his own solo releases.

For a while, it genuinely looked like the story might be over.

The Reunion: Aura and Andalucia

Then, in July 2025, IV of Spades surprised their fans when they dropped a new single, “Aura,” and revealed that Unique Salonga was back in the fold, making it the first IV of Spades music to feature all four original members in years.

The reunion arrived at full speed. A run of surprise singles led to their second album, “Andalucia,” in November 2025, their first full-length as the complete lineup and their first under Sony Music Philippines. That December, they sold out a two-night homecoming at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.

The members have their own cheeky name for what they play now: “chop suey rock,” a nod to how their tastes range across R&B, gospel, jazz, funk, and OPM, too many flavors to pin to one genre. As Zild put it, they are rock, “pero hindi macho” (but not macho).

Older, closer, and clearly enjoying themselves again, IV of Spades have turned their second act into a victory lap that fans thought they might never get.

Videos

Albums

• ClapClapClap! (2019)
• Andalucia (2025)

Singles

• Ilaw sa Daan (2016)
• Hey Barbara (2017)
• Where Have You Been, My Disco? (2017)
• Mundo (2018)
• In My Prison (2018)
• Bata, Dahan-Dahan! (2018)
• Ang Pinagmulan (2020)
• Sariling Multo (Sa Panaginip) (2020)
• Aura (2025)
• Nanaman (2025)
• Konsensya (2025)
• Suliranin (2025)

Song Collaborations

• Sa Kahapon (Shanti Dope – 2018)
• Huli Na Ba Ang Lahat (Moira dela Torre – 2018)
• Nagbabalik (Rico Blanco – 2019)

Awards

Awit Awards

• Favorite New Group (2018)

MYX Music Awards

• New Artist of the Year (2018)
• MYX Bandarito Performance of the Year (2018)

Wish 107.5 Music Awards

• Wish Group of the Year (2019)
• Wishclusive Rock/Alternative Performance of the Year (Mundo – 2019)
• Wishclusive Viral Video of the Year (Mundo – 2019)
• Diamond Wishclusive Elite Circle Award (first-ever recipient – 2019)

Nominations

MYX Music Awards

• Group of the Year (2018)

MTV Europe Music Awards

• Best Southeast Asia Act (2018)

Wish 107.5 Music Awards

• Wish Rock/Alternative Song of the Year (In My Prison – 2019)

Perspective

There is something disarming about a band this young sounding this timeless. IV of Spades take the warmth of 1970s funk and soul and make it feel brand new, all shimmering guitars, buttery basslines, and melodies that lodge in your chest. Their music feels like finding a beautiful old record in mint condition.

Praise for the Artist

They’re tighter than the Eraserheads.

– Diego Castillo (Sandwich)
IV of Spades on Their Reunion, Andalucia, and Chop Suey Rock
Rolling Stone Philippines

…the result of Andalucia is one that’s a colorful amalgamation of their unique artistry, giving each member their own moment to shine

– Gabriel Saulog
The Best And Worst Of IV OF SPADES’ ‘Andalucia’
Billboard Philippines

Their story isn’t just about what they are capable of as musicians; it’s about what it means to overcome each other’s differences and achieve more together than they could ever do alone.

– Sai Versailles
IV of Spades on Their Reunion, Andalucia, and Chop Suey Rock
Rolling Stone Philippines

Contact

• facebook.com/IVOFSPADES
• instagram.com/ivofspades
• youtube.com/@IVOFSPADES
• tiktok.com/@ivofspadesofficial

Bookings

• IV of Spades – Official Facebook Page

Listen

• Spotify – IV of Spades
• Apple Music – IV of Spades

Apple Music

On Instagram

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by IV OF SPADES (@ivofspades)

Trivia

• “Come Inside of My Heart” became an official Fortnite emote in October 2025, letting players dance to the IV of Spades hit inside the game, a rare crossover for an OPM song.
• That same song had a wild second life on TikTok years after its release, charting on the Billboard Philippines Hot 100 in late 2024 and cracking the TikTok Billboard Top 50, long after it first came out in 2019.
• Before IV of Spades even existed, Zild and Blaster were child prodigies on Eat Bulaga’s “Music Hero” segment, where Zild won the bass guitar title and Blaster took both electric guitar and the overall Ultimate Music Hero crown.
• Their second album is named “Andalucia” after the apartment where the members regularly gathered to write and reconnect, making the title a quiet tribute to their friendship.
• The band opened for international act Panic! At The Disco during the group’s 2018 Manila stop, a big-stage moment early in IV of Spades’ career.
• IV of Spades once won AirAsia’s regional “Dreams Come True” search, and their prize was the chance to perform alongside legendary hitmaker and producer David Foster.
• At their sold-out 2025 comeback shows at the MOA Arena, the band kept the crowd entertained during an intermission by playing Tekken 8 together on the big LED screens.

Posted: August 5, 2026