Zephra Lagos is TIM ÄWÄ.

In 2015, after being exposed to Japanese post rock music, drone/ ambient
groups and Irish post rock, she formed the musical entity known as TIM ÄWÄ. She immediately wrote
songs from 2015 to 2018 that would eventually be launched last September 1, 2018 at the Espasyo,
Lucena City. Oh, and what an EP!

The EP contains five songs all written and recorded by song-writer/ multi-instrumentalist Zephra, with
Lalay Abanilla playing drums on LBRT, Enin and Tu is. Completing the live performance line-up are Neil
Andaya (bass) and Kiko Valderrama (guitars).

The first track on the EP is “LBRT” which starts with a very sparse snare and kick drums, then after a
beautiful and haunting melodic vocals from Zephra, builds nicely into a dense wall of sound. The ebb
and flow of the atmospheric guitars is anchored down by Lalay’s awesome drum beats, with ghost notes
aplenty. There was a sense of urgency conveyed by the song, which was resolved by the lovely vocals
and those creative drumbeats at the end of the song.

“Tad-am” is a song which gloriously takes the listener into a mysterious landscape, with chord stabs that
evoke enigma, and drums with its almost sleepy half-time feel, sounds like a lullaby hushing the listeners
to a dreamlike- state. Best listened to with your eyes closed, imagining you are afloat in the vastness of
the cosmos.

A more upbeat sounding “Lio” suggests a care-free attitude. Its stop-start technique builds momentum,
carrying us on its waves, before pushing us into a full blown mix of peaks and valleys of sounds and
emotions. The wonderful layering of soundscape effectively tells a story that everyone can relate to.

The fourth song “Enin” is clearly the most “indie-rock” track from the self-titled ep. After a minute or so
on the song, the interplay between the drums and guitars clearly exemplifies the musicianship of these
gals. I also really liked the coda, with a natural sounding tempo shift and a welcome calming effect after
the aggressive stance at the first-half of the song. Lovely. <3

“Tu is” introduced me to the band, after watching a video clip on Facebook of a live performance of the
said ditty. The song hit me hard, with its “soundtrack to an indie movie- like quality” (actually, all the
songs can be a soundtrack to your life). To my ears, the song is like a conversation between two
lovers, with all the appropriate light and shade moments.

TIM ÄWÄ is definitely a jewel in the crown of the local music scene in Quezon Province. The self-titled
EP is an absolute wonder, and is impressive on how these collection of songs conveyed raw emotions
without uttering a single word. This is six out of five stars. It is that good. –bon salagoste