London duo Ooberfuse has always had a reputation for blending strong melodies with bold messages, but their latest single, Better Than Gold, may be their most uncompromising work yet. Released on September 19, 2025, the track is a cross-continental collaboration with Manila’s Tugista, a rap collective from Tondo, one of the most disadvantaged areas in the Philippines. Together, they’ve created a piece of music that goes far beyond entertainment—it is a blistering indictment of systemic corruption and a rallying cry for accountability.
The track is rooted in Ooberfuse’s trademark ability to combine East and West. Cherrie Anderson, who has family ties to Tondo, provides the emotional core of the collaboration, while producer Hal St John channels the group’s intensity into a beat that feels like both a weapon and a warning. Tugista’s raw verses cut through the mix with fiery precision, transforming lived experiences of injustice into sharp-edged lyrics. As ZJAA declares toward the end of the track, “I don’t sugar coat, I know the truth tastes bitter.”
Musically, Better Than Gold strikes a balance between Ooberfuse’s polished pop-electronic production and Tugista’s unfiltered rap delivery. The result is a hybrid sound—tense, urgent, and pulsing with energy—that transcends language barriers. Even if you don’t understand every Tagalog phrase, the rage and defiance come across clearly. As Hal St John explained, it wasn’t about translating words, but about “arming that fury with a sonic blade.”
Lyrically, the track leaves no room for apathy. Tugista members pull from their own lives growing up in communities plagued by graft and inequality. C-Blink describes his verse as a reflection of his “own actual experience of the rotten and corrupt system,” while OBLK calls the track “a visceral scream,” a way to voice truths that might otherwise remain buried. XFLOW adds his perspective from inside the community, pointing out how corruption impacts “simple ordinary citizens,” while YC turns his verse into a direct challenge: “My rap verses are not just complaints, they are a reminder and a call to action.”
What makes Better Than Gold stand out isn’t just its subject matter, but the way it frames music itself as resistance. Ooberfuse has never been afraid to push beyond conventional pop, but here they reject escapism entirely. “Forget the love songs and the flexing,” Anderson insists. “Real music claws at the throat of power.” The song’s intensity feels less like performance and more like testimony—a message hammered out of frustration, faith, and hope for change.
The collaboration also highlights Ooberfuse’s global reach. The London-based pair have played everywhere from massive arenas in Madrid to intimate shows in Rio’s favelas and even stages at the UK’s House of Lords. Yet with Better Than Gold, they’re not just traveling physically—they’re bridging continents, joining voices from two very different contexts to make one urgent statement.
In a world where corruption often feels too deeply rooted to challenge, Better Than Gold proves that music can still hit where it matters. It’s not an easy listen, nor is it meant to be. Instead, it’s a reminder that art has the power to name injustice, amplify marginalized voices, and demand a better future. Ooberfuse and Tugista don’t just make noise here—they make noise that matters.
Follow Ooberfuse on