Written by Elijah P. After almost hitting every note and scoring every possible R&B collaboration known locally, Bulacan-based pop singer-songwriter Dionela has finally hit the algorithm goldmine in streaming with their collaborative hit “Sining” alongside R&B royalty Jay R. Not too long ago, the same mainstream artist and respected industry titan passed down the “crown” to the young neophyte on live television. Dionela humbly turned down the offer by returning the symbolic crown to Jay R in the same segment. Looking back at that moment symbolizes a lot about Dionela’s output: clunky, laughable, and an overall striver that fails to follow up the greatness of any industry singer-songwriter from decades before. Despite numerous attempts to hit the sweet spot in choruses, the “all my life” line is more laughable than sticky in the sensual listening experience. “Sining” is as grating as sprinkling rotten cheese on a bad serving. The awkward use of Tagalog in the verses and choruses feels forced, much like the strained high notes. Meanwhile, the unbearable lows don’t cover up the shortcomings of Nelly’s Tagalog counterpart. When Dionela tries, they try hard, just like the chorus they’ve written. Jay R, on the other hand, turns the track around. However, when an industry veteran tries to steal the spotlight rather than complement the feature, something unequivocally goes wrong in the execution of the track. “Sining” neither looks nor sounds sexy; it’s a track that begs to make sense. Like a ribcage rumbling from the notes of a xylophone while rupturing longing feelings. Did that passage make sense? Not really, and neither does “You’ve turned my limbics into a bouquet” when your prefrontal cortex is fully developed. Support the art & the artist:
Author: Elijah Timothy Pareno
TRACK REVIEW: Shanni – 19
The second single from neophyte soft pop singer-songwriter Shanni is more enchanting than their debut by a lot. Venturing into dreamier soundscapes rather than city pop beginnings, Shanni’s “19” commands a slightly more consistent and somber approach to their tender sensibilities in pop songwriting. Shanni sings over the gentle compositions as if skiing on a mountain: It’s breezier than it sounds, and with its execution landing more consistently compared to “Sa Panaginip,” “19” feels like an ode to the influences worn on their sleeves. Call it derivative of Men I Trust or Faye Webster all you like, but Shanni is carving out their own lane in songwriting. It’s not theirs to claim just yet, but “19” serves as a proper stepping stone for the young pop star as they emerge from their creative shell. Support the art & the artist:
TRACK REVIEW: To Love Everything Ever Again – Jonah
Written by Elijah P. In every scattered, programmed drum loop, bitpop-influenced keys, meddling string section, and vocal delivery, there’s an underlying sensitive theme at play in “To Love Everything Again” — the solo indietronica and chamber pop project of Janpol Estrella. The track exudes a tight embrace and a strong tug at the heartstrings. It’s quiet yet hauntingly melodic; there’s lingering depression yet a playful energy that hangs in balance with a grim foresight. “Jonah” is the debut single you shouldn’t miss. Singing about sensitive topics such as sudden urges of suicide and the like, Estrella carefully orchestrates an experimental thread of influences: electronica weaving through folk-inspired elements and such. While listeners groove to “Jonah,” it serves as an assuring sign of hope and a reminder of the reality we all must face eventually. The concept of “youth” remains central to the artist and its listeners, as experimentation and pushing the envelope exist on the fold, which is exactly what To Love Everything Ever Again is doing right. “Jonah” is a single that everyone should check out in the year 2024. Support the art & the artist:
TRACK REVIEW: fuzzy headcoat – Czai
Written by Elijah P. Eastern Metro Manila has become cloudier and more ethereal than ever before. The solo bedroom project fuzzy headcoat delves into the ethereal wave, exploring the indie/alternative genres with its almost repetitive distorted guitar work, xylophones, and the gentle twee vocals of their vocalist. Drawing inspiration from the enigmatic “world music” netlabel and incorporating hints of Reed-isms in their vocal work, fuzzy headcoat partly satisfies expectations while balancing it with charming instrumentals. Although the track may feel hollow at points and repetitive for its own good, “Czai” embraces its transient nature, appearing fleeting and almost structureless yet meandering in its separate listens. This is an impressive take on jangle pop songwriting because it functions as a song and doesn’t delve too deeply into abstraction. fuzzy headcoat shows potential, but they still have a long way to go. Support the art & the artist:
TRACK REVIEW: Twosday – piyesa
Written by Elijah P. Malibay, Pasay, is a neighborhood brimming with musical surprises, and among them is a group of young talents from Twosday, a 5-piece consisting of friends from other friends in their neighborhood. And like all young upstarts, their influences are well-worn on their sleeves loud and proud from the very start. The neophyte’s knack for covering Smashing Pumpkins and Teeth tracks has prompted each member to showcase their own rendition, infusing the essence of 90s flair onto the forefront of the bustling 2020s stage. In “piyesa,” their homage has reached different heights: belting leading vocals, soaring guitar solos, and layers upon layers of rhythm sections pummeling and grooving to the grungy songwriting. The band may have several things to brush up on musically, but there’s no denying the camp when you hear the words “mahal parin kita” screaming high above the clouds. There’s genuinity thrown on the wall, and you could say it can stick quite well when you’re in a band that’s as unashamed and uncompromising. Twosday’s got a lot in the tank and “piyesa” is evidence of that fuel driving the band to where they are at the moment. Support the art & the artist:
TRACK REVIEW: gins&melodies ft. Hev Abi – Babaero
Written by Elijah P. The year is 2024, and we’re currently at a stasis in how culture perceives sampling as a taboo subject and interpolations as a dubious activity in songwriting overall. Regarding the aforementioned topics, Shaira’s “Selos” made an impact by sparking a discourse on interpolations, while massive critics of the song bombard comments about its original source. But by the end of the day, who cares? It’s a catchy track. No one can ever take away our enjoyment. The same can be said for “Babaero,” which interpolates the Randy Santiago classic of the same name. After all the discourse and disputes, all of this fluff of copyright and ‘gotcha moments’ is all thrown out of the window because gins&melodies and Hev Abi already have a classic on their hands right away. Gently singing along to the lyrics on a Mac webcam with hearts flying out of their heads, “Babaero” is cheesy as it is evidence of interpolation, bringing the hook to a whole entirely different meaning in its contemporary setting; It’s less of a variety show singalong and more of an intimate, much more effective terminally online earworm. Surely, this is a testament to the consistent hook game and charm to both Downtown Entertainment and pop songwriting at large. Support the art & the artist:
EP REVIEW: Yung Masa – MY KARMA RAN OUT
Written by Elijah P. Being a jack of all trades can take you somewhere, especially when you can balance out the dynamics of being a producer and a songwriter. These particular skills are something to masterfully juggle throughout your entire career span. Moreover, up-and-coming rapper and songwriter Yung Masa takes on the challenge of balancing different subgenres of rap in his debut EP titled “MY KARMA RAN OUT,” teetering with synthpop, drum n bass, digicore, and 2020s anti-pop sensibilities, mixing them into this cauldron of a project. The end result? A hot mess scattered by a relentless number of influences that don’t consistently gel well. “PRELUDE (could’ve been)” is an opener that overstays its welcome, while “GOODBYE” expresses my excitement for this EP to be over—not to mention the weak hook and singing. “DOWN” has harmonies that yearn for a Christmas Time remix from Alvin and the Chipmunks, while “RUN!” wishes to write like contemporary local rappers that sound like RB Slatt. However, “LOSE MYSELF” and its overall production could have defined the EP as a whole, with emotionally resonant vocal delivery and drum patterns that pay homage to 2020’s electronica. However, one takeaway the listener can get from this album is to not mistake all the futuristic, cyborg, Blade Runner-like visuals for actual material substance. “MY KARMA RAN OUT” was a frustrating listen from front to back. Sometimes the possible influences can get in the way and act as a detriment to its content. It’s like Mokujin except the impersonations don’t fully resonate to render the journey victorious. Its punches are weak, the lyrics are out of it, and the bar is extremely low for the remainder of this debut EP. Yung Masa’s “MY KARMA RAN OUT” should be renamed to a different title; maybe “My Originality Ran Out” is more fitting. Link:
TRACK REVIEW: Jade Fake – isa kang PUTA
Written by Louis Pelingen Within just two extensive verses and a set of devastating refrains under a clattering, shambling production is enough foundation for Jade Fake to burst up all of her provocative confrontations towards men and all of their borderline pathetic sexual fixation. There is a genuine sense of rage that Jade Fake indulges in, her exasperated delivery and lyricism spilling out scathing whiplashes as the Arca-esque inspired production stiffens and shrivels around her—creating more discomfort as it goes along. The peak of this intensity slowly unravels as the production becomes the center point of all of this, covering up Jade Fake’s voice with its shaky, bleeping textures and its unorthodox melody progressing through with a stomping beat, eventually leading to this track embracing harsher electronics that gives an overstimulating unease and ending with the shrill noise taking control of the atmosphere of the song. It’s clearly an inflammatory pursuit that is portrayed well by Jade Fake in both her production and melodies, taking her lyrical flips to take the spotlight with a potent amount of disgust carried by her performance just before her production steals the entire show, complementing that sense of discomfort and elevating it to the point that it manages to execute its intended message exceedingly well, pricking everybody’s ear who have listened to the song for a single or even repeated listens. Pulling aside subtlety for an in-your-face approach might create some lopsided results, but when the anger toward the insufferable obsession with reckless sex is palpable, the harsher edge may as well permanently disrupt the climax point. Support the art & the artist:
TRACK REVIEW: stab. – watch you die
Written by Elijah P. As the hardcore community continues to expand in numbers, it has successfully passed on to the younger generations who are willing to help out in promoting a progressive mindset to all. Bands like Crepuscule, Gapas, Exit Wound, Shockpoint, and many more are emerging, performing in shows and venues everywhere. Bands like them continue to become more adventurous in terms of themes and technicality, yet Vismin bands like stab. are among the prime examples of experimentation and aggression to their fullest potential. “watch you die” features gritty reality and marks a massive turning point in the genre. The track opens with a sample dialogue: “If you’re gonna stop me, you’re going to have to fucking k*ll me,” followed by an amen break accompanied by a plethora of riffages that invade the listener. This is what happens when you mess with the people you love the most, showing that bands like stab. are examples of rage justified by means of autonomy. It’s a track worth lacing up your sneakers for. You get to appreciate its feral energy and experimentation in the first half and throw it down in the pit by the second. “Get fucking st*bbed, bitch” is a statement that sends shivers down your spine. Support the art & the artist:
TRACK REVIEW: Chezka – Fire Near a Toddler
Written by Faye Allego Chezka rose to virality on TikTok when she first released a video snippet of “Fire Near a Toddler” a couple of years ago. Since then, it has amassed over 600k views with thousands of comments coming from youngins who relate heavily to Chezka’s lyricism pertaining to losing hope in love because it was never taught in the first place. Despite “Fire Near a Toddler” being Chezka’s only song out on streaming platforms as of the moment, it is evident through her TikTok that she is a seasoned songwriter who has already figured out what her sound is and what she wants her lyricism to convey. When I listened to this track by Chezka, all I could remember were the origins, evolution, and importance of Bedroom Pop. As her fans are awaiting an album announcement, Chezka’s sound could potentially change, but I think it’s safe to say that her ability to just grab her guitar and sing lyrics with such intensity in emotions brings out a lot of Bedroom Pop elements. Most, if not all Bedroom artists we grew up listening to have grown to become major names in the industry and have shifted and experimented with different genres, but one thing they all have in common is that they all started out online, with a guitar on hand or unrefined productions on GarageBand, sharing their music through video form on platforms like YouTube and now TikTok. “Fire Near a Toddler” exhibits so many themes in under four minutes. It is impressive that Chezka’s storytelling ability invites the listener to a space of vulnerability with no shame. Her writing skills also allow the listener to come up with their own interpretations, I mean, her TikTok comments sections are almost filled to the brim with folks professing their relationship to the song as well as why that song relates to their particular situation. How comforting it is to see community being built upon a single song. Speaking of building, my only critique is that the buildup lacks a bridge, rendering the thematic feelings of anger a bit disconnected. The hollow, emptier parts of the track only justify the lack of meatier rhythms (i.e. electric guitar), however, the lack of a bridge still benefits the track because the listener’s attention is directed toward the lyrics. Many songs that are first teased on TikTok tend to focus on the peak of a song whether it be a high note or a guitar shred, yet, in Chezka’s song, it’s the storytelling, rhyme, and double meanings in her lyricism that strike appeal. So, how did Chezka write a song about feelings I didn’t even know I had with such precision? I think it’s safe to say that her precision comes from the art of self-awareness when it comes to love and longing. It is evident in the rawness of her storytelling that this artist possesses a songwriter’s vital ability to showcase vulnerability with no secrets intact. May she continue to pick up a pen and a pick whenever her writer’s cloak decides to visit her. Support the art & the artist: