Written by Elijah P. As ‘genre-bending’ pop music continues to pervade the comfort zones of many listeners in the 2020s, a new crop of producers are on a mission to challenge the conventions of those pop genres they have been sitting on for the longest time. Take new blood producer Alice Lunafel’s Haute Couture project […]
Author: TFL
EP REVIEW: LORY – s/t
Written by Elijah P. Parañaque’s very own desktop pop musician Mikee Mendoza aka Lory released their debut self-titled EP with the help of Terno Recordings. Like a tidal wave on a sunny afternoon, the 16-year old sophisti/city pop wunderkind virtually came out of nowhere. With their label distributor promoting their upcoming EP in the middle […]
TRACK REVIEW: Jikamarie – “Kailangan ko ng….”
Written by Elijah P. Angelica Ponce aka Jikamarie took the Tiktok world by storm when she released her debut single “Lutang” — a synth-y r&b track that encapsulates our feelings that are in an absent-minded state — where it drew in colossal streaming numbers, a bunch of niche micro celebrities lip syncing to the song, […]
TRACK REVIEW: SHNTI – Fuck it (im in love again)
Written by Louis Pelingen Even if this year’s Valentine’s day has passed, LIAB Studios‘ SHNTI shows that the declaration of love isn’t limited to that date. Like goodie goodie, this is a reworked version of the same song that was put out on her SoundCloud page a year ago. SHNTI described this as a new […]
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: neytan – Normal Pop Radio
Written by Elijah P. There’s an unspoken gap in synthetic pop grounded from the bedroom and r&b recorded in lapel mics, and the one way to address the void in between those genres are the acts that bridged it: Men I Trust, Clairo, and just to name a few. Those artists paved the way for […]
EP REVIEW: Shanti Dope – Basic
Written by Elijah P. “Basic” is Shanti Dope’s statement to rap’s mega complex. Right off the bat, he finds it easy to course through 5-tracks showing that he’s the best. The young Caviteño has barely even reached his creative peak. Shanti’s career as a rapper so far has been a mix of triumph and controversy: […]
TRACK REVIEW: dia maté – FANTASY
Written by Louis Pelingen Island Records Philippines‘ Dia Mate lets you into her musings on her newest song, “Fantasy”. Her voice shows her passion and her struggle as she trudges through a relationship that she wants to keep alive despite the vulnerability that is shown in the lyrics. The sparse beats, hazy effects, and somber […]
TRACK REVIEW: Muri – Lately
Written by Sab Aguirre Releasing “Thunder” and “Tulog na” last year, Muriel Gonzales, also known as Muri, continued to produce nostalgia-driven melodies outside the shadows of The Ransom Collective, of which she is a member as violinist. “Lately” is a heartfelt journey towards self-consciousness, overarching the glee from playful guitar notes and the pulsating rhythm […]
ALBUM REVIEW: BURZAGOM – Kontrabida
Written by Red Bartolome To attempt to confine an art project into conventional musical genres is a futile, fruitless effort. I could say that BURZAGOM’s album effortlessly combines dissonant genres such as punk, hip hop, noise, funk, TV/Film scores, and more into something surprisingly cohesive. I could say that the record’s pacing, at times slow […]