On July 19, 2025, I had the pleasure of watching the fourth installment PAWN’s trademark gig series Gazing Into The Abyss. The concept behind this gig series was that each lineup would consist of indie, alternative, and shoegaze-adjacent bands different from the last, giving the artists an opportunity to shine and simultaneously exposing the audience to said artists. Having attended them since its second iteration last year, I was incredibly excited to see the new acts that they had invited to perform that night, namely In My Yearning, Ruby Apartments, She Must Be Dreaming, Cream Flower, and Linger Escape. Unfortunately, Dumaguete-based alternative rock act Boylosers, who were part of the lineup, could not perform due to the intense storm that prevented them from coming to Cebu.
Deepest reaches
Kicking off the night was local shoegaze quartet In My Yearning. Despite not having seen them perform prior, I was familiar with a few of the band members due to their involvement with other local music projects. After having seen them, I can say that they greatly impressed me with their knack for delivering blissfully melancholic tunes with a hazy sheen. At the same time, the hushed vocal delivery was incredibly entrancing and complemented the music incredibly well.. While the band’s music was nothing all that unique on the surface, I found that the approach to shoegaze they took had a greater emphasis on instrumental layers that filled the atmosphere. The band ended their performance with a more upbeat and fast-paced number that got the crowd jumping and dancing. Overall, In My Yearning made for an incredible opening act that night and made me excited for the rest of the performances.
Up next was Ruby Apartments, a local shoegaze supergroup consisting of two members of another local shoegaze band Bedtime Television, as well as one from Bacolod-based indie outfit &ND. Having seen them perform once in PAWN’s Girlhood is a Spectrum gig earlier this year, I was very excited to watch them again. Much like In My Yearning, Ruby Apartments performed a series of beautifully melodic numbers with an undercurrent of somberness to them. However, their performance was a lot less subtle and more direct, as the vocals were delivered with a sense of passion and gusto that was incredibly palpable and kept the crowd’s attention fixed on them. The simplicity and straightforward nature of their arrangements and songwriting made for performances that the crowd fell head over heels for, including myself.
Taking things in a slightly different direction was the local indie quintet, She Must Be Dreaming. While their sound exhibited a similarly hazy atmosphere with the prior two bands, their music was a lot more light and poppy which made for a nice cooldown after the more dense walls of music that came before. The band’s delicate synth melodies were very easy on the ears and served as a solid foundation to the rest of the instrumentation, which greatly appealed to me and the rest of the crowd. Despite having seen them a few times in the past, their performances continue to impress me as they are able to strike a perfect balance between understated subtlety and ecstatic grandeur. With their performance that night, She Must Be Dreaming has proven once again that they remain an essential local act to look out for when it comes to dreamy and effects-laden indie pop.
Continuing the streak of breezy, effects-drenched indie pop was Manila-based duo Cream Flower. The duo consists of a male guitarist and a female vocalist and keyboardist/percussionist, and out of all the acts in that night’s lineup, their performance was the one I was most eager to watch as their music was recommended to me months ago, which I enjoyed a great deal. However, it was only after that night that my admiration for the duo increased as they delivered a greatly enthralling performance despite being only two. This was thanks to the multitude of effects and gear that the duo had in their arsenal, which they utilized to concoct a variety of hypnotizing soundscapes and melodies. Most of the audience was seated, including myself, which allowed me to better absorb the duo’s tunes while also providing respite from the prior performances. While both members did an incredible job, the guitarist in particular was the standout to me as he was able to construct surprisingly intricate yet cohesive melodies and soundscapes with his guitar and effects pedals. He is without a doubt one of the most versatile guitarists that I’ve ever seen perform, and I’m glad to have had the pleasure of watching him work his magic. The vocalist, however, provided the soul for their music. Her sweet and tender vocals greatly complemented and punctuated the harsher guitar soundscapes, making for an enveloping and deeply mesmerizing sonic journey. When I first saw that the gig’s lineup had Cream Flower in it, I was immediately excited to see them perform. Lo and behold, they delivered a stellar and incredibly engaging performance that I will remember for a long time.
Closing out the night was Bicol-based band Linger Escape, a shoegaze outfit with very heavy hardcore roots. Prior to the reveal of the gig’s lineup, I had never heard of this band and decided to wait until that night to hear what kind of music they performed. Upon watching them perform, I was surprised to find that the band played what I can only describe as hard-edged and intense hardcore punk with strong hints of dreamy shoegaze. It was a unique combination that I had never heard before but immediately gravitated towards. The rest of the audience seemed to share the same sentiment as without warning, most of the crowd began moshing and thrashing wildly to their songs and I couldn’t help but join in on the fun. What’s more, the band’s performance seemed to last much longer compared to the rest, which made for a tiring yet thrilling conclusion to the show. However, just as Linger Escape seemed to finish their performance, the audience chanted in unison for them to play one more song. The band gladly obliged to perform, not one, but two more songs. I could only describe the rest of the performance as an intense blur of wild and unmoored thrashing and dancing, as well as an aural barrage of distorted guitars and booming drums. With utmost confidence, I can say that Linger Escape delivered an incredibly climactic and unrelentingly intense conclusion to the night, and I could not have asked for a better way to end the show.
Once again, PAWN has proven that they are masters at curating and putting together incredibly enthralling shows with the fourth installment of Gazing Into The Abyss. The acts that performed did not disappoint and the crowd, including myself, was thoroughly satisfied and entertained. While it is unfortunate that we did not get to see Boylosers perform that night, the rest of the acts more than made up for their absence with emotionally riveting performances. The night was nothing short of fun and exciting and I am gladly looking forward to PAWN’s next iteration of Gazing Into The Abyss or whatever show they have planned in the future.
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