ALBUM REVIEW: Amateurish – A gentle reminder to rest

Baguio is quickly becoming the new source of music in the Luzon archipelago,  birthing the likes of Dilaw and Turncoats. From the most unexpected of places comes a new entry into the math rock/emo/pop punk ring: Amateurish. Don’t let the name fool you, they are nothing but. With tight instrumentation and relatable lyrics, the quintet […]

TFL presents: THE 20 BEST FILIPINO RELEASES OF 2023

The year 2023 saw a lot of shifts happening: the rise of scene kids coming from the FYPs and For You pages of yore and the steadily rising of attendees in DIY underground shows all over. In Luzon, newer collectives were formed via embodying the gothic, emoviolence sensibilities of Metro Manila’s newer heavy music units. […]

TFL’s THE 23 FILIPINO TRACKS OF 2023

Every year, something monumental happens in the music scene, whether it would be an army of alt-kids taking over a mall show, a rapper taking over the country by storm on Tiktok or a DIY venue at the verge of crumbling after two shoegaze bands. Genres have multiplied into bubbles, ecosystems emerge as newer venues […]

ALBUM REVIEW: The Geeks – Sitcom Theme Songs

The Geeks hit their stride with their latest release – Sitcom Theme Songs! While their last EP “Weirdly! Relatable! Content!” explored the use of warmth by using tapes to re-record the EP, this album sees the band embrace contrast by singing about lost people and places brought about by the pandemic while having a trumpet […]

ALBUM REVIEW: Paper Satellites – Manila Meltdown

Words by Janlor Encarnacion It took a pandemic for indie-rock trio Paper Satellites to finally put their musical vision out into the world. Spanning years of writing, Manila Meltdown depicts the maturation process of a band figuring out their sound and rolling with it. Evident in the album is their penchant for making memorable riffs […]

ALBUM REVIEW: Drive of Daydreams – DRIVE OF DAYDREAMS VOL. 1

Written by Janlor Encarnacion The OPM landscape has a never-ending list of bands singing about love and all its tangents. A band can find success just by sticking to this topic and avoiding any deviation from it. Signed to O/C Records back in 2018, Drive of Daydreams released their debut album – Daydreams Vol. 1 […]

EP REVIEW: Ozzga | Polar Lows SPLIT

Written by Janlor Encarnacion As we enter into the third year of this never-ending pandemic, bands have kept their hands busy. Enter two up-and-coming local shoegaze bands with their own version of relentless noise: Ozzga and Polar Lows have broken the deafening silence and released a surprise split EP. Spanning only four songs, it whets […]