Unostentatious is the first EP/demo released by Polymerase after a long hiatus or in Vincent's words, "the demo that really started the journey for Polymerase."
In this era, the lineup features:
VN Jose – Vocals
Vincent Jose – Guitars/Bass
Francis Ilagan – Drums (on the record)
Ziggy Cerda – Drums (in the video for A Night with a Succubus)
It wasn’t until 2020, during the pandemic, that VN reminded Vincent about their long-forgotten project. That moment sparked Vincent to immediately start writing riffs and recording new material, which he then posted on Facebook in hopes of catching the attention of any drummer friends with free time.
Francis, a former bandmate of Vincent’s, responded and began adding drum tracks to the music. After several exchanges of emails and ideas, Unostentatious came to life.
After posting it on Bandcamp, it gained international recognition for its sound. This was also the time it was first featured on Unite Asia, as well as underground stoner/doom sites such as Fuzzy Cracklins, Desert Psychlist, Stoner Hive, DenpaFuzz, RobHammer, The Obelisk, Void-Stoner Worship, Weedian, Monster Riff, Headbanger’s Review, Radyo KNTTN, Doomed Nation, 666Mr.Doom, Sonic Void, and NineHertz Podcast.
Local papers also covered the news about Polymerase, including BusinessWorld and Pilipino Star Ngayon. It was additionally reviewed by The Business Mirror.
The album cover features Vincent surfing the waves of Siargao, an island in the southern part of the Philippines known for its chill vibes and awesome waves. He was surfing in an area called Cloud 9, which is popular for its surf spots. Although he wasn't a professional surfer and had only amateur-level skills, Vincent was able to surf in that area. He's not quite sure who took the photo; it was either his then girlfriend or a local surfer “ate” nearby.
The album is called Unostentatious as a reminder to just chill and not be boastful because someone, something, or some shit might just punch you back to reality and humble you.
The track started with The Traveler to introduce some philosophical vibes. We're here on Earth, just passing through, or maybe our planet is just a spaceship cruising through the universe.
It can also be seen as your mind traveling through different parts of your inner world or getting lost in your imagination until you come back to yourself again. It can also be interpreted as a traveler going to different places or countries, trying to understand the culture, immerse in their ideas, and become one with the people on Earth.
Second is about A Night with a Succubus. It can be interpreted as an unexpected night of pleasure or a surreal, out-of-this-world kind of feeling where you wake up the next day wanting more, but it's no longer there. It's that feeling of craving a certain emotion, only to be left unfulfilled.
Third is Lightgiver // Lightbringer. It's about a certain individual, or maybe an idea, that makes you realize something that wasn't there before. It can be interpreted as a eureka kind of moment, or that time when you had a spark of creativity, or when something triggered you to be productive. It could also be a moment that helped shape who you are, or something like that.
Lastly, in Green is the Color of Evil, we mostly see green as something toxic or decaying, masked by natural beauty. Evil blends in and can disguise itself as growth or even hope. It can be inviting, looking lush, and vibrant, but it may lead to your destruction.
They also collaborated with Misstiq, a musician and producer from Australia, on the track A Night with a Succubus, and called it the Stoned and Heaven version.
They also produced a video for A Night with a Succubus, and in the video, Ziggy played the drums.
This EP is their own interpretation of the stoner rock genre, but with other influences, it turned out to be more of a heavy-psych kind of album.
