1. Yael Yuzon – (Guitars/Vocals)
2. Erwin Armovit - (Guitars)
3. Gosh Dilay - (Bass)
4. Chris Cantada - (Drums/Back-up Vocals)

 
   Formation (1998–2002)

Between 1998 to 2002, Yael Yuzon and Gosh Dilay, both from Ateneo de Manila University - High School, 
met through the school's theater guild, Teatro Baguntao. Yael decided to form a band 
with Gosh and two other members of the theater guild. They named the group Sponge after 
R.S. Surtee's Mr. Sponge Sporting Tour. The band won in several high school competitions 
boosting their popularity not just in their school but in other campuses, as well.

Some members of the old lineup left and were replaced by Chris Cantada and Armo. 
The latter is the guitarist of another band Rampqueen, 
which was managed also by Sponge's former manager Raymond Fabul. Later however, 
they learned about a Detroit grunge band already using the name Sponge. 
"But we wanted to keep the word Sponge in our band name because people have already 
associated us with that name," according to Yael. "So we decided to add 'Cola', 
since it's an easy enough word to remember." Sponge Cola was officially formed in 
summer of 2002.

   Early Career (2002–2004)

They came up with a self-titled EP in the last quarter of 2003 containing 
five original songs: Lunes, A Tear, Saturn, Cigarette and Jeepney. 
The first and the last song penned in the vernacular caught the public's attention. 
Lunes, written by Gosh, begins with a bossa nova-esque beat that suddenly shifts to 
a heavy rock riff. Second single Jeepney was written by a classmate for a school project 
back in 2001 and is a reminiscent piece on young love during simpler, happier times. 
Yael's vocal range is evident in the song showcasing his ability to shift from mellow 
to screamo.

Through this EP, Sponge Cola got extensive airplay from several local pop and rock radio 
stations. A bootlegged copy of their version of Madonna's "Crazy for You" ended up on 
the Internet and became an underground hit, with some listeners believing 
it was a Sponge Cola original. Though this misconception helped increase their popularity, 
the band was able to avoid the stigma of being a cover band, pushing their original songs 
to the forefront.

   Palabas (2004–2006)

In 2004, the band signed for record distribution and released Sponge Cola's 
first full-length debut album, titled Palabas, under Sony BMG Philippines, 
an allusion to the boys' theater backgrounds. The album features a definitive voice 
in unadulterated rock, reminiscent of 90s alternative but mixed with enough sing-along pop 
sensibility-as based on the band members' individual influences. 
Gosh was weaned on classic OPM from the likes of Basil Valdes and Martin Nievera; 
Armo lends to heavy metal and rock edge, citing bands like Deftones, 
Tool and A Perfect Circle as influences; Chris likes pop-rock bands like the Beatles 
and Athenaeum; and Yael Yuzon trips on everything from novelty songs to bubblegum-pop, 
from 80s power ballads, to The Smashing Pumpkins. They admitted to have been also 
influenced by Pinoy iconic Rock Band "The Eraserheads."

They are also one of the few local rock bands that boast of using three part harmonies 
in a lot of their songs, supplied by Yael, Chris and Gosh and as seen in tracks such as 
"KLSP" and "Una". Sponge Cola also experiments with unconventional elements 
that are normally ignored in rock recording, like the samisen ("A Japanese guitar", 
Gosh boasts), the striking of amplifiers, cellphone ring tones and actual rain. 
The final track, "Closure", faintly features the sound of a door shutting, 
before transposing to a melancholic acoustic number.

During 2004, their songs Lunes and KLSP gained popularity. Also, 
Jeepney became popular in the beginning of 2005 along with their own version of 
Crazy For You. Spearheading the resurgence of Pinoy Rock, Sponge Cola gained even more 
popularity from listeners with the Shakespeare-laced song "Gemini" and especially the 
pounding "Una".

1. The Wandering
2. Gunita
3. Do You Know The Feelin
4. Sa Bingit Ng Isang Paalam
5. Myself In You
6. All We Need
7. Nocturne
8. Pasubali
9. Harapin
10. 22
11. Partisan
12. KLSP
13. Neon
14. On The Floor
15. Stone’s Throw
16. Jillian
17. Lunes
18. To The Sly And Cunning
19. Una
20. Dragonfly
21. Gemini
22. Jeepney
23. Closure