Written by Elijah P. Makati’s prodigies kyleaux and Never Paco rep the 25hearts banner in a hazy collaborative track titled “angel”. After being filtered in webcams and IG love stories, the duo worked on a track that envisions a purple house show with smoke machines and contemporary r&b—dousing in cloudy production and vocal layers that thicken the atmosphere 2 times more than the usual love song. “angel” balances between euphoric tag team verses and helium-like delivery to evoke an effective cloud 9 experience for the listener outside of the typical cloudrap tracks of today. There are more than ounces of potential in every bit of harmonization – and autotune is already out of the question for a catchy track like this. kyleaux kicked off the track like it was a sweet date at a gas station while Never Paco bookended it with ebullient synths fading in the distance. “angel” is a career-making move for both young rappers in the scene and there’s much to discover while the two are beginning to hit it big soon. Support the art & the artist:
Category: TRACKS
TRACK REVIEW: Sintasan – Sin In October
Written by Louis Pelingen Among the sea of up-and-coming bands slipping across blends of gentle and effervescent murmurs of Dream Pop and Shoegaze, and the thorny and magnified observations of Post-Punk and Emo, Sintasan wriggles on the latter side, bringing another niche along the way. Popping up since early December of last year, this quintet immediately skates into the throes of Midwest Emo and Post-Punk with their staggered emotions that will reel on brittle screams on one section and whimpering singing on the other. Since their debut single last year, they have been aiming their sights towards fleshing out their scopes as they keep working on their debut project this year, new songs showcasing new variations that still come off adjacent to their own ethos that has been consistent to date. Like a machine roaring and fuming as it crashes at full capacity, “Sin In October” processes its post-heartbreak situation with a flood of pain pouring through. The melodic fervor of the frenetic drum work and guitar playing nestles the vocals that knead between heartfelt singing and gnashing screaming, multiplying the feelings of a broken-down protagonist reflecting upon a crumbled relationship, wishing to be better for their ex-partner and wanting forgiveness for the hurt that they’ve stung to them. The reflection is then mirrored within the cooldown moment of the track that pulses through at the end of the song, that immense yearning now converted into intense turmoil, screaming to wish that they can retain the love with that past partner. As the year closes into the midyear, so is Sintasan as they head towards completing their debut project that will be released on the horizon sooner rather than later. While it is evident from their past singles that they are building blocks towards sculpting and refining their sonic dynamics and compositional structures, “Sin In October” is the track that they’ve made with the most polish so far, able to echo the raw, undeterred plea to be forgiven from the sins that were dealt months ago. Support the art & the artist:
TRACK REVIEW: Jeff Grecia – Elevate
Written by Elijah P. I have a proposition for all local hip-hop listeners: close your eyes, listen to Jeff Grecia’s “Elevate” and imagine a time in 2017 when Al James exploded in the scene and somehow spawned imitators in the scene to the point there was no turning back. Jeff Grecia’s “Elevate” takes the worst elements of a 2023 mainstream rap track. It is more vapid than an emptied Elfbar on a Happy Thursday, a flat tire in the middle of heavy traffic, “aesthetic rap” only catered to pick up people at a bad gig outside of a Poblacion bar. There are verses, flows and pitches here trying to stay away from the formula but it is so formulaic that it’s pointless to hear Grecia’s wincing voice reach to Hell’s gate. What else do we need to hear more of Grecia? Virtually nothing apparently. Not even the tito cornrows and hoodie can save face. If we were to look at it in the bigger picture: We do not need more Al James clones in the scene Support the art and the artist:
TRACK REVIEW: O $IDE MAFIA & TUS BROTHERS – CRASHING
Written by Elijah P. The internet has long existed to demystify many different art forms. From showing its bare bones to even revealing what is there and what makes the material in the first place. In music, there’s an ongoing debate whether or not an unfinished track with little to no final mixes made by the engineer – or in short a “leak” – made it out in the open from trusted sources all over the ethernet is better than the final product. Take O $IDE MAFIA and Tus Brothers’ collaboration “Crashing” as an example. As far as my hearing is concerned, “Crashing” sounded a lot more tamer, sinister. And yet it feels a lot more collected with the trademark rage-y verse-carrying by none other than O $IDE MAFIA. With Tus Brothers’ classic contemporary voice aping overkill sticking out like a sore thumb in the mix, even if the beatswitch in the earlier versions from the leak wouldn’t save the track from being unbearably mid in the long run. “Crashing” was an experiment in collaboration. It was an attempt to make something work from opposite sides of different worlds trying to make sense of something on paper and yet fall flat on the surface. Gee, Cashman, and Madman have equally drawn their swords higher than ever, exceeding everyone else’s expectations presence-wise while Al Tus and Rudy Rude attempted to sound as piercingly sharp as their cohorts, but neither of the two would even come close to match O Side’s energy in the first half. From the internet’s obsession over TMI in IG livestreams to the inevitable leak of the earlier version – which is now gone from YouTube – “Crashing” did their best to keep the hype yet the leaks made sure that there are no such things as securing the element of surprise. Support the art and the artist:
TRCK REVIEW: PETTE SHABU – bulbulin ka na
Written by Louis Pelingen & Elijah P. When it comes to looking further into the hip-hop that rumbles in eclectic and queer stripes, Pette Shabu follows through with pure, uncompromised ethos. From the multiple tracks she has released so far, she never dumbs down her brand of transgressive hip-hop tapestries as she nimbly steps into boom-bap production and stomps roughly into bruising experimental production, all while she knits and staples her eccentric bars with an upfront delivery that’s all deft and bold. Working in the realms of surrealist lyricism and absurd rhyme schemes, Pette Shabu operates at a level of a beast walking the runway. ‘Bulbulin ka na’ shows Pette Shabu working in horseboyy’s shambling soundscape — not to put her targets into a roasting, but rather into an explosion. There are incendiary lyrics hiding behind her writings, and Pette’s unabashed presence shines in Phoenix-like proportions. It starts off with an introduction that may come off as a snarky warning, but it then follows through with Pette entering the fray with a whip, lashing away against those who dare try to fuck with her. There is a little bit of Arca’s trans-assertiveness that is embodied here, albeit Pette’s neck-cracking wordplay and rhyme patterns allow her snappy delivery and her bars to sting deeper, spinning you around with bruises all around you. With horseboyy’s buzzing production amplifying Pette Shabu’s lyrical and vocal ferventness, Pette Shabu cuts above and delivers a whiplash of a song. It’s sassy and pointed, with clever bars arranged around her unabashedly queer language that topples down her targets with a flick, never backing down without a fight. You may want to listen to what she has to say, or else you might be caught slipping under her radar. Support the art & the artist:
TRACK REVIEW: Hev Abi – WELCOME2DTQ
When it comes to a territorial takeover, Hev Abi does it in the most sinister way by inviting you to 1103 aka South Triangle, Quezon City. Beginning in the Memphis Rap influenced production to the modern-day ominous trap house presence, Hev Abi is looking forward to taking the entire region by storm this year. “WELCOME2DTQ” is documentation of a city that has a long and rich history in hip-hop, and Hev Abi successfully captured the essence of Kyusi via baseball bat-wielding charisma and flawless flows. Say what you want about the A$AP Rocky comparisons, but no one would ever dare to reduce Hev’s uncompromising presence and initiative. He possesses an aura of coolness to the place to the point you’d actually be proud of repping your hometown. Whether it would be a posse backing him up along the Tomas Morato avenue or the overall crew love you receive in “WELCOME2DTQ”, the up-and-coming rapper is largely responsible for being the phantom in the dark, slowly but surely tagging his nearest vicinities with an all-encompassing rap skill. Backed by C.R.E.A.M callbacks by the bridge and demonic pitches placed by the outro, Hev Abi’s at the come up and QC is the launching pad he needs at this time in the hip-hop scene.
TRACK REVIEW: Pikunin – ★·.·´¯`·.·★ Tadhana ★·.·´¯`·.·★
Written by Louis Pelingen Scrolling through Soundcloud, Youtube, and Bandcamp to discover a song that interpolates or adds a twist on a sample underneath always gives you a different kind of feeling. Sometimes it will leave you bewildered that it ends up clicking (or not), sometimes overjoyed with a hint of nostalgia, or sometimes spiraling down to a screech, wondering how adding just the quaintest of beats and vocal takes can bring you to a certain kind of special tug. Pikunin, formerly known as AHJU$$I, flips up Tadhana by Up Dharma Down and puts his own spice into it. A hint of nostalgia slid in – now glazed, full of twinkling sparkles, and a low-key charm – pitching up Tadhana and chopping it down to the chorus and to the signature cooing of Armi Millare as a starter, tugged along with Pikunin’s softer vocal takes (“Please pick up your phone and don’t leave me alone / Cause I can’t be by myself, I don’t want somebody else”). All along while Pikunin drums up a jersey club-style beat with that signature squeak sound that blends well with the rest of the song, and makes the song twinkle more brightly than before. It’s a song that brings up nostalgia, carving up a spin that makes it refreshing, and allows everyone to appreciate the source material even more. Tadhana is already a heartfelt song for anyone reeling from their 2010s nostalgia, and now Pikunin’s quaint yet charming flip of the song does not take away the pathos of the song but rather adds a different kind of tug.
TRACK REVIEW: ABY – paasa vibes
Written by Louis Pelingen It’s a tough situation to be led into false hopes of someone falling in love with you, only to reveal that they’re using you as a reserve, not as a definite showcase of authenticity when it comes to how they’re leading you into that romance. The common quote of “pinaasa mo lang ako” rings like an orbit in these situations, penning itself into the songs that have been local mainstream staples for a good while now. Writing about it can be either devastatingly real, or it can be tepid, where the details burrow themselves into surface-level ‘paasa’ topicality that doesn’t stand out whatsoever. And with all of that musing, Davao R&B artist ABY shoulders the former with a tight control of melody and a punch in her writing and delivery. A song titled ‘paasa vibes’ might be a corny title to start with, but don’t judge it for its title. Listen closely and there’s a lot to be impressed about. ABY’s measured vocal melodies loop and swivel through the choppy beat filled with skittering trap percussion, rubbery bass grooves, and splashy arrays of synthesizers. ABY’s writing (alongside her slicker vocal delivery) has this Dua Lipa influence into it as she blows through a guy that keeps falling in love with her even if she knows that he treats her as a reserve while he keeps finding other women elsewhere. There’s an assured maturity in the complicated ‘paasa’ topic on display especially when ABY herself is close to reciprocating, but wise enough to be on the right path to not be led into the guy’s false romanticism towards her. While the production can be a little mushy, the end result still sticks regardless. It’s splashy, catchy, and also layered once you dig into it. Again, don’t let the song title make you wince, because this packs a lot of punch and a lot of insight that breaks through the ‘paasa’ situations that so many people have found themselves into.
TRACK REVIEW: Sunkissed Lola – White Toyota
Written by Elijah P. Olongapo’s sole funky, alternative rock troupe Sunkissed Lola are to watch out for in the new batch of bands in the 2020s. From being introduced by Kiyo in more intimate gigs to being one of Wish 107.5’s most sought-after artists in terms of virality, Sunkissed Lola are aiming to get out of their hometown to hit the big leagues. But with their latest arsenal consisting of an impeccable drummer and backup vocalist in the stable, the problem in Sunkissed Lola still lies in the style of their direction and their vocal performances. If the listener were to open their ears again, looking for another infectious hook in their material, the process of realization would stem from hometown heroes with nothing to lose to hometown big leagues with generic taste in hand. After the hit viral single that is “Pasilyo”, Sunkissed Lola are to double down in the genericness of it by opening the year with “White Toyota”. In their new single, Sunkissed Lola personifies the breezy summer afternoons and a knack for guitar licks that takes the funk outside by the shore. Still, the sore thumb in all of this isn’t just their current sonic palette (even their contemporaries like The Ridleys, Over October or even Lola Amour could make slightly more tolerable commercial music). Sunkissed Lola launches an all-out attack on the funkrock genre, only to be sacrificed by sounding like a car sponsorship out of nowhere – minus all the fun and the glamor of it all. “White Toyota” doesn’t just scream mid but rather: Sunkissed Lola and “White Toyota” work together as a humid product of pop that’s barely reached the surface of memorability in terms of catchy songwriting. “White Toyota” has all the potential to be Sunkissed Lola’s second breakout, but the single only works if your uncle would test out the radio if the brand new Toyota Vios works for background music. Support the art & the artist:
TRACK REVIEW: P4blo – baka magalit boyfriend mo
Written by Elijah P. The concept of “girlbestfriends” or “boybestfriends” in the year 2023 might be a ludicrous rap theme for older listeners. For those out of the loop, think of it as a zoomer litmus test of infidelity – an archaic concept that traces back to the time when infidelity is still pretty much a playful yet haphazard theme to rap around. Think of SZA’s “The Weekend” except it’s executed on a less deeply personal level. In the decade that is the 2020s, you’re pretty much in the clear to goof around with the exception of earworms and infectious hooks. Rapper and singer P4blo does it effortlessly. In “baka magalit boyfriend mo”, the up-and-coming rapper melodically prances around the concept of being a sideboyfriend or the proud rebound to the protagonist’s girlbestfriend in cloudrap form – sped-up piano notes, reversed synth pads and sliders, and vocal harmonies melding together. P4BLO knew for sure what he was writing about yet the undeniable hook writing shouldn’t work out, but its inescapable melodies make it an anthem for all sidechicks or sidebffs all over. Not that the casual clueless listener is to acknowledge the existence of such culture, but rather this substitute for the typical Valentine’s playlist should be highly considered for all. Support the art & the artist: