Written by Louis Pelingen Sometimes, musicians can get very productive, which can result in them putting out multiple records or EPs that contain distinct or experimental ideas, both in the production and composition side. This gets frequent in the modern underground scene, where their work ethic, lack of label presence, or even just having an ear for creating melodic structures out of the gate allows them to put out music in a ballistic state of mind. In these cases, it is interesting to see how their musical output remains consistent across the board and how their growth keeps sustaining with every record they put out, especially with that kind of musical force they belt out. Introducing Chimera Mix, the musical side project of 17-year old Patorikku who hails from Paranaque, who also goes under the YouTube channel moniker under the Patorikku name that focuses on eerie creepypasta-esque videos dipped with a VHS aesthetic that’s pretty much the trend these days. His musical output under Chimera Mix is downright impressive, to say the least. While it does encounter the issue of being bloated, the fact that he has 9 records under his belt blitzing through indie rock, psychedelic pop, hypnagogic pop, and even hard rock with creative melodic and instrumental tendencies he can pull out in thin air is just remarkable. And on this EP that was released last month, Chimera Mix wastes no time concocting 4 tracks that dabble in his usual hypnagogic and psychedelic pop weirdness which ends up being a fascinating peak in his career so far. ‘Prelude’ introduces the listener to soothing atmospherics that breaks down with these hypnotizing synth, drum, and guitar melodies just before it slows down and eventually concludes into these relaxing vocal harmonies. ‘My Pet Rat’ is a jaunty cut that contrasts the downbeat lyrics of the protagonist’s guilt of his dead rat as the instrumentation shuffles and progresses into a pure frenzy, especially the piano work and the brass instrument thrown into the chaos. ‘Tommy’ provides similar melodic and vocal zaniness as the last track paired with existential, dark lyrics and some Beatles worship in the mix coming from the guitar solo and the piano work. It ends off with ‘215 – 300 Version’, a song that was in his 2019 record, Pliocene. It retains the original dream-like aesthetic from that record with the fleeting synthesizers that develop even further, paired with a surreal and bleak lyricism that ends the EP on a mysterious note thematically, but on a satisfying note musically. While Chimera Mix has afforded to create fascinating melodic and instrumental twists and turns in his past records, ‘My Pet Rat’ EP has shown his musicianship at a state of refinement that continues to impress me, even with the creative strides that he has showcased on his past albums. He’s a trickster with dozens of tricks up his sleeves. And with this EP, he’s someone you might want to pay attention to in the future, for you’ll never know what kinds of exciting magic he’ll put out next. Support the art & the artist:
Category: EPs / MIXTAPES
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 DIY musicians to come up with ideas wherein they mix in several musical influences and ultimately come up with a singular, signature sound or movement. It was an itch longing to be scratched for many and yet it’s still missing the oomph everyone was looking to consider. For bedroom pop/r&b neophyte Nathan Ron Del Mundo aka Neytan, it comes across as if that itch has been scratched by his versatility and taste in his first ever EP titled “Normal Pop Radio”. Judging from the EP title alone, it looks and sounds like the 17-year old performer-producer wasn’t trying to duplicate an era that was lost, but rather he finds comfort in the strumming, the vocal twisting, and the mic cupping with additional themes of love, infatuation, and other what have yous that are sonic hallmarks in those respective genres. Tracks like “ALMANDINE” and “Malaysia” – the latter track being a loosie that isn’t on this EP but it exemplifies his knack for choosing appropriate melodies – are examples of hard-hitting and hazy production choices that best suit his vocal range. There are showcases of variety in genre choices but it’s enough to disjoint the EP even further. The filler tracks “SHE’S PRETTY (OUT OF MY LEAGUE)” and “CHICKEN WINGS” are products of soft soul and r&b that are easy on the ears but run on the mill if seated among the sea of songs that are identical structurally. It only makes it more superficially restrained rather than melodically consistent that would brand their identity later on. If anything “Normal Pop Radio” is memorable for, it’s the sheer potential the young up-and-coming musician can pull off sonically. However, his vocal chops could get a little bit of training before he can go full on Rex Orange County while surfing on those dreamy symphonies cascading to the drum machines. Neytan has a lot of work to do in the future, especially when searching for a natural sound to cling on and not rest on the laurels of his Discord contemporaries. Moving beyond one’s influences is one step closer to being a performer of a lifetime. SUPPORT THE ART & THE ARTIST:
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: PDEA tags “Amatz” as a negative influence towards his audiences; Gloc-9 passes the torch shortly after signing a deal with Universal Records; Disney+ adds the aforementioned track in their hit series Falcon and the Winter Soldier; and clearing his name from being affiliated with the notorious Miguelito Malakas. The de facto leader of Young God Recordz first started out from playing at small rooftop bars in Bacoor. Now he has the whole world on his hands. For this EP however, he’s going back to his roots. “Basic” was an assemblage of his cohorts; he givesthe spotlight to his closest family in his own label — minus Pricetagg Official and Hero who have their own respective cliques to handle in the competition. He maximized his resources for this EP, it’s evident comparing this from his previous full-length outing as a rookie back in his self-titled debut release – a project where we witnessed his first stumble as a rapper. It had tracks that expressed his juvenility and impulses, but neither of those subject matter proved a checkmate in the game. In “Basic”, there’s maturity, solid schemes, and a mission. All the tracks were mapped out, Shanti being the master at his element: tracklist feels more compact but packed with punchlines, guest features feel at home, and most importantly, Shanti Dope proves time and time again that he isn’t just a rapper with a double-time flow, he’s more than that. Shanti has a skillset almost no one can match at his age and current status. In the title track “Basic”, he and fellow Cavite partner Mhot go back and forth at a boom bap beat, all the while playing around with different voice pitches by the latter half, which calls for an experimental phase in Shanti’s music. The different voices of Shanti possess a different tone in his arsenal, wherein his untouchable hook writing can go very well together with his affinity for pitching his vocals differently in each track; The best example of this stylistic choice are either tracks like “Tabi” or “Loaded” – the former takes a form of a tamed conscience while the latter describes the life and times of a desperado at the dead of night. “Basic” collects one of Shanti’s best tracks in recent memory. The instrumentals put a good spin to the solo rapper’s career as he continues to push himself further as an individual with a generation behind him and raise the standard of rap altogether. Support the art & the artist:
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 the listeners appetite for the potential of what the bands can unleash. The EP starts out with the banger track “Feel You” by Ozzga. Upbeat and hard-hitting, Ozzga dictate the pace with a high tempo track that is not usually heard of in the genre. It also debuts their newest member – Poti – on vocals. Her sweet melodies add a delicate contrast to the distortion of the band. ”Should” is next and is a personal favorite of mine ever since they played it at an Alternatrip show and it finally has a proper recording to do it justice. The back end of the track also features a droning transition – as the band mentioned – to introduce their co-stars in the EP. Polar Lows’ “Paper Street” is a surprise, mainly because of the male vocals and song structure but also shows the versatility of the band members. According to Pablo, the song is his take on a dissociative experience similar to the narrator’s experience in the movie Fight Club. The EP ends with “Ellipsis”, another stellar track from the band. It features the signature vocals of Megumie and the bombastic percussion of Josh, coupled with Pablo’s expertise with fuzz and reverb. Though really short in scale, the EP shows potential from the scarce tracks – leaving fans excited or more robust releases from both bands in the future. This EP is a definite must-listen from two bands that pave the way for shoegaze in the modern era. SUPPORT THE ART & THE ARTIST: https://ozzgaph.bandcamp.com/album/ozzga-polar-lows-split
EP REVIEW: reon – Sentiments
Written by Elijah P. reon is a duo consisting of songwriters Reanne and Noah hailing from Leyte, Eastern Visayas. They are the type of duo who are waiting to shine out from the dark. Though they’re not there yet, at least for now. But they’ve at least shown materially that they’re ready to slide out of that darkness, shimmering across the chamber folk spectrum at lightspeed. In “Sentiments”, their 6-track EP, peaks variously in emotional levels of relief, catharsis, and infatuation. The tracks speak softly, in volumes so tender that it speaks more character than other har-har acts that are coming out today. Their choices for production are muted and intimate, mostly a balance of both: pianos streaming across the male and female harmonies, drum machines lingering as a unique backbone to their palette. There’s a showcase of experimentalism and polarity between the tracks, presenting a Side A and Side B of their skills as songwriters and producers. In “Is It Too Much Ask”, reon challenge themselves in narrative-writing via a lengthy 5-minute-and-a-half length. As it sways in midtempo, the duo slowly but surely enlivens the atmosphere adjacent to their singing. Shortly after the track, they never compromised their delightful sound. “Back To The Times” – arguably the best track in the entire project – aspires to become a tranquil version of the templated semi-abrasive contemporary dream pop sound. The beat compliments the hidden synths while the reverb acts as a blanket for the entirety of the track. Other than that, the string section in “Sentiments” and the acoustic guitar in “A Place I Could Call Home” are examples of avoiding a sterile sound. It feels and looks cinematic; better than watching mural-sized paint dry. Although, the project could’ve been more dynamic: instrumentations that evoke a certain feeling or conflict feels missing or better yet underdeveloped. Both reon have large amounts of potential to be thrown on the wall, they haven’t checked to see what sticks because of the concealed production style that easily hides their weaknesses as a duo. Their imagination for longing is restrained through the lyric-writing, which is underwhelming in some parts, or rather second-rate in repeated listens. Its warm sonics at some point could feel one-note throughout “Sentiments”, but at the very least both Noah and Reanne’s performances glisten in the vocal booth. Overall, reon is a duo that’s packed with potential. They got their cards right and as long as they play it right in the long run, they’ll yield great results. Support the art & the artist:
MIXTAPE REVIEW: Kennedy Music – From The Top Bunk
The last time we’ve talked about Raushaus, they released their artist showcase last year. Those cuts showed a lot of potential in terms of style clashing and adopting the new styles of the western rap hemisphere. We chose to go inside the RausHaus, and looking inside those vibrant rooms we have a bunch of young lads making songs at the upper part of their bunk beds. The lads in question: Kennedy, a group of young up-and-comers. Recently, they’re on the uptrend in their circles for their newest mixtape titled “From The Top Bunk”. Out in the street, they run around with free verses while basking in the sun, waiting for the day to pass as their breezy choruses echo past the light posts. Their frequent frolicking in the ‘Best Boyband Since One Direction’ block may be at their arm’s reach. However, Kennedy liberating demeanor in ‘From The Top Bunk’ may have worn out their own welcome. Template after template, Kennedy’s group dynamics are executed with impressive results but the afterthoughts linger to a replay of the Saturation trilogy after a first listen or two. The lead single “m.i.a” is brimming with flows that are reminiscent in 99 Neighbor tracks and the nimblest verses before hitting the second half. Although, the singy-songy bridges aren’t on par with the skilled flows. The first two tracks, “s.y.m” and “tekken 6”, are nothing but style borrowing from one verse after the other. With every detail in the production paying good homage to BH’s producer team, the shelf life of these store-bought copycats expose the group’s longevity. With these influences being worn on their sleeves like a tight jumpsuit, groups like Kennedy are disillusioned with the cursed chemistry in boybands today that are prone to being impermanent footprints of a current generation. Similar to how Westlife was to Backstreet Boys or how Greta Van Fleet is to Led Zeppelin. These influences come at a cost and their identity as a group is at stake. Kennedy makes little to no distinction in being a boyband in the 2020s. However, their cloning doesn’t distort their songcraft entirely. There’s actual merit behind the blue makeup, faux puberty, and youthful stills. Whilst replicating the structure of the aforementioned boyband, tracks like “espana” and “always” actually pack a couple punches in both their hook writing and bar spitting. The former showed the group’s actual skill in multisyllabic and flow practices while the latter naturally flows so well with the hook, even the guitar lines complement the singing. Overall, ‘From the Top Bunk’ shows a lot of promise in the group. But that promise won’t be on a chokehold when the boys realize that they can be greater than their predecessors. This EP is a testament for their future releases, hopefully becoming forerunners of a generation that is about to be written in the midst of a lockdown. SUPPORT THE ART & THE ARTIST: