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, and eventually made her land in a label deal with Warner Music during the last quarter of 2021. The track itself was a smash-hit for its infectious hooks, borderline-fantastical production, and leading synths that make a callback to electropop phases of K-Pop production styles in the mid 2010s. “Lutang” persisted throughout the rest of 2021 and marks a promising career for both Jika and her sibling-slash-executive producer Kenneth, establishing an early Billie-Finneas chemistry later on as she prepares herself in a post-pandemic world in 2022. Several months after the viral rollout of “Lutang” and countless other features across the industry board, it seemed like Jikamarie was about to reach the peak of her career as a singer-songwriter already. Mostly relying on Tiktok snippets and excessive remixes of “Lutang”, the debut single was about to reach its quota and it was high time for Jikamarie to churn out a new single before time runs out. “Kailangan ko ng” is a brand new single released days after the Valentine’s rush. It featured odd Korg-y bass lines, a cinematic chorus, and a weird, out-of-place bridge injected right smack dab in the middle of the single. To prove one’s artistic longevity is a challenge artists struggle shortly after they’ve hit their Smells Like Teen Spirit moment. But to Jikamarie’s benefit, “Kailangan ko ng” still stays true to her earnestness and drive, however, the end result has embodied the literal definition of a half-baked product. Being a one hit wonder surely is a curse, it’s a slump that’s taken for granted by many, and Jikamarie has experienced her first stumble in her latest single; The choruses have overstayed its welcome, a promising subject matter that’s interrupted by an odd choice in tone by the bridge, and a song structure that’s slightly identical from her past two singles — which are “bawi ako sa next life” and “Lutang” respectively. There are a lot more cons that outweigh its pros, to which it doesn’t completely apply to Jikamarie’s detriment entirely and surely “Kailangan ko ng” and its themes was able to conjure up a relatable feeling. But as far as repeated listens are concerned, Jikamarie’s “Kailangan ko ng” fails to be on par with the quality of her previous singles. SUPPORT THE ART & THE ARTIST:
Category: TRACKS
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 era for her music, which I do agree with. This reworked version shows the mixing of the keys and the vocals balanced out as there are now inclusions of bass and violins besides the glossy keys and simple drum beat to add to the melodic foundation and charming feel to the song in courtesy of Calix’s contribution as a producer. SHNTI’s rapping and singing have improved ever since, showing more control, confidence, and charisma that makes her musings of newfound love feel charming and believable. And unlike the Soundcloud version of the song, this version really goes all out with the strings, bass, harmonized vocals, and handclaps that conclude the song where that love becomes more blissful and exciting to grasp. While my nitpick would be the chorus that could’ve been developed a bit further, that’s just minor. It’s a simple, quaint love song that SHNTI breezes through with enough expressive charisma paired with balanced and necessary production choices from Calix that make it so damn charming and blissful. Support the art & the artist:
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 guitar licks help set the tone of this slow-moving ballad. It’s a song that presents her fantasy towards the relationship that she wants to keep alive, but it’s not exactly fully realized. It can be alluring for the most part, but that fantasy can get smothered as the percussion and hazy effects cover up the gentle guitar passages that provide an intimate layer to the overall tone of the song. The gorgeous pre-chorus transition to a simple yet brittle chorus makes Dia Mate’s yearning sentiments sound slap-dashed and a bit sloppy as a result. But still, Dia Mate carries through the song with her impassioned vocals and lyricism. It’s the production and melodic slip-ups that pull back her fantasy from resonating ever stronger. Support the art & the artist:
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 elevates it into a carefree, easy-going song. Unlike “Thunder” which seemed to be a recurring dream of a disheveled, but not completely forgotten life, “Lately” is a reflection of vulnerability in relationships while recognizing the lapses of one’s action. Muri didn’t only showcase her years of experience as a musician but also presented her personal notes to the listener. With the rise of solo projects during quarantine and isolation, more artists exuded their intimate side as they decide on everything they want to put out to the world. “Lately” is an output of processed emotions running through multiple verses and wandering. The layering of multiple instruments throughout the song was well-intended, as her bright-toned voice encapsulates the whole track. It will be difficult to disassociate Muri from her band’s identity, since some listeners might underscore that her thematic tracks lean-to Ransom Collective’s cult-favorite songs. However, from the start, Muri’s releases only proved that it’s her individuality and personal recollection that makes her music truly her own. After various life transitions and appealing releases, any listener of Muri would desire to hear a full-length album that can either set forth to her cohesive sound or present her versatility towards her craft. From its opening and recurring rhythm, through neatly orchestrated violins and warm chord progression, “Lately” is a much-needed whimsical companion to a sun-filled long drive. Support the art & the artist:
TRACK REVIEW: Lyn Lapid – I Guess That Was Goodbye
Written by Elijah P. When it comes to dramatic pieces of a piano ballad, there’s a mix of melodrama, regret, and even remorse from the songwriter. There are times of reminiscing and nostalgia found in the subtle parts of its verses and a cathartic release by the chorus. And more often than not, the songwriter asks for closure once the final piano line fades in the distance. For Baltimore-based singer Lyn Lapid, her constant aping on Lorde’s Melodrama proves that the singer-songwriter genre is at a stagnant state. “I Guess That Was Goodbye” is a follow-up to her massive slow jam soul of a single “In My Mind” – one of her many viral tracks that helped skyrocketed her career on platforms like Tiktok – and it’s becoming frustratingly obvious that her unceasing desire of genre-hopping has made her artistry all the more across-the-board. Sometimes going back and forth from her debut to the latest single, it should at least occur to the listener that Lyn acts like an algorithm changing to better suit everyone’s tastes every now and then, with nothing of substance and emotional value to it whatsoever. “I Guess That Was Goodbye” combines dry diaristic writing, anticlimactic structures, unnecessary symphonic leads, and a singer whose skills scream mid-tier all the way back at the recording studio. Link:
TRACK REVIEW: Al James – PSG
Written by Elijah P. The mythology of Al James as an annual hitmaker begins to loom over many hiphop heads ever since the start of the pandemic. Memes, jpegs, and fan comments explain the deprivation of new releases from one of their favorite rappers. As the Baryo Berde mainstay’s absence began to stretch for the entire duration of lockdown, the demand for something new, or even some presence to an extent, began to swarm all over social media. Like most artists of his size, Al James went to take a step back, rerouting back to family priorities. It was, no pun intended, a time for him to rest. That’s until he went on social media to move the symbolic ‘glass’, posting studio time with Nexxfriday for his long-awaited debut album and a rumored collaboration with arguably the biggest r&b artist of the moment, Arthur Nery. And then shortly after the tease, the six-foot tall, snapback-wearing figure unveiled a new glass he raised. This emblematic glass for him to raise was for his comeback single aptly titled “PSG” — a single where he’s got a stockfull of those ‘goods’ in the Delorean trunk as he runs 88 miles per hour in the freeway. It’s a celebration deemed as a ‘comeback of the century’ from hip-hop social media as a whole, media partners continuously rejoicing as Al James plans to roll out for more singles in the coming months or maybe in the coming years. But what else does he have besides the goodies? Well, nothing new really — and it comes off as no surprise if we’re expecting any detour after an almost 2-year absence. “PSG”, like many of his singles throughout his 5-year career as an entertainer, follows-up to none of his past potential. From “Pahinga” to “Ngayong Gabi”, Al James barely left 2016 in his latest offering. Trap may have evolved for the better, but to Al James’ detriment, barely anything came out as something career-defining or let alone a paradigm shift in 2022. It’s only appropriate that he was packaged as a time-traveling party goer from the past only to change the present, but this present of his barely has any progress musically for the future; The signature yet unvaried vocal register submerged in the shiny synths, the deep sub-bass rattling off the mild wag-’kang-nega verses, and the unimpressive progression from the verses to even the hooks, are all middle-of-the-road. “PSG” narrowly carves Al James for better and for worse. It’s a single that’s reserved as a time-capsule, a disappointing half-hearted effort that doesn’t exceed time nor his Delorean’s flux. Support the art & the artist:
TRACK REVIEW: Woochito – Validation
Written by Elijah P. Batangas-based solo artist Woochito’s vision in ‘Validation’ is nothing short of cliche. A beaten-up individual walks across several blocks way past midnight; bathroom breakdowns; and a couple shots that evoke a feeling of a daydream – it ticks all the boxes of an action-movie built for a bedroom pop audience. But there’s an underlying merit that needs to be acknowledged to Woochito – formerly known as ‘manila boy’ – and his knack for hypnotizing his audience in his bootleg internet Wonderland of sorts. There are examples of how his influence pierced the consciousness of his small internet following; his contemporaries Paul Parce and unikko ijo aren’t strangers from this trance-like, VHS-filtered state existing in their music. But as far as sonic-attraction is concerned, he is by far one of the most hypnotically captivating artists in his circle. The vocal mixing in “Validation” is unflattering, coming out as a sloppy performance, but it invites you into his world somehow. It’s a nervous, messy, and complicated situation to be in lyrically, as he describes his love as something to be ‘drooling’ for – a word that doesn’t need to be necessary as the music does most of its job in luring you into its beauty. The less attractive aspects of the song however doesn’t overshadow the overwhelming qualities of the track onwards. The instrumental flirtations of layered synth pads and chorus-pedal-guitar that happen between the verses and outro are love letters to one of his influences, but he isn’t far off as he wears these influences under his bruised-up blazer. However, Woochito packs a lot of uncontained infatuation in “Validation”, and as much as the amateurish may put off the listener at first, an earworm will be reserved in the following consecutive listens. Support the art & the artist:
TRACK REVIEW: Arthur Nery – Isa Lang
Written by Elijah P. As music listenership and awareness continues to grow, a ‘trifecta’ or ‘holy trinity’ arises from the ashes of ‘OPM’ past. Rock music with feelings are the new ‘nostalgia’ acts, while industry torchbearer soloists Zack Tabudlo and Adie claim to become the flavors for a new generation of local music listeners. The third man in the three flavors is none other than Cagayan De Oro’s very own Arthur Nery. Although his style differs from the aforementioned figures, each and one of them have their own characteristics of being substanceless ‘Pick Me Guys’ and seeking-for-validation-in-the-end-of-the-world types, Arthur Nery — now currently a top-drawer for Viva Records — churns out plain vanilla neo-R&B tracks shortly after the late celebration of his first album ‘Letters Never Sent’. He revels in being the loyal one, the only one in the partnership, as he prances outside of your subdivision home. “Isa Lang” — his latest single closing out the new year, opening 2022 with a new era of contemporaries — feels hollow, conserving vocal variety rather than exceeding one’s potential. And while the prince of Neo-R&B pleads you a wilted rose, he only offers less with the style he’s honing today. Not even the intimate bass kicks, organ synths, string section, and skeletal, groove-less backing-band sound can back up his one-noted commercial friendly vocal stylings. If anything that makes his music impactful, it’s the monotonous delivery that bores every section of the song with forced usages of ‘deep’ phrases and hushed, boy-bestfriend sentiments, barely tugging the heartstrings of his listeners. As Arthur continues to solidify himself as the biggest mainstream act of the moment, both his newer singles, “Isa Lang” and “Pagsamo” respectively, released in the past few months are no more than mere background music. Arthur is headed towards more fruitful straits, albeit while playing it safe: a move that would set the precedent for his younger contemporaries witnessing his rise. Support the art & the artist:
TRACK REVIEW: VXON – The Beast
Written by Elijah P. Cornerstone Entertainment Inc. – a talent agency that’s known to house all upcoming ‘artistas’ and established personalities such as Catriona Grey, Empoy Marquez, and just to name a few – has gambled on producing an all-male idol group called VXON (pronounced as ‘vi-sion’) and their latest debut that launched not too long ago titled “The Beast”. The up-and-coming five-member group aim to become showstoppers in the industry, putting a more rap-oriented track in the forefront of their debut. But in spite of the ambitious direction, VXON doesn’t live up to the hype of their promotion weeks prior to the release of “The Beast”; It takes a lot of courage to title your debut as ferocious as ever, let alone debut under the wing of a talent company that has produced a lot of known names along the way. However, “The Beast” doesn’t seem to live up to its title. In fact, it seems to cater more to ‘dude bros’ who hang out at bars in the middle of a Happy Thursday and book a cross-country trip to the nearest shoreline EDM festival. VXON can carry themselves choreo-wise, but lyrically, it seems like the laughable edits in the lyrics are crossing between delusional and outright ridiculous: “You can watch me, as I walk/ You can say my name” and “Gotta read back pages those changes/ We oversee in faces, realest faces/ Get you places, let erases beat disgraces”. There are sections here in “The Beast” where it feels out of place and oddly outdated by today’s production standards: brostep wobbles that channel 2014 Project-X parties, and growling vocal stylings similar to SB19’s Mapa. To think that this is a debut is a sign of a much needed training and development for the idol group. There is little to no hints of being a ‘beast’, especially if the presentation shown isn’t up to par in the idol group competition. SUPPORT THE ART & THE ARTIST:
TRACK REVIEW: HEY JUNE! – Panahon
Written by Elijah P. Hey June!’s sophomore single “Panahon” has a pretty straightforward premise: a protagonist yearning to repeat a certain moment only to be taken away from the claws of time. The four-piece didn’t want to mince any words — the song only contains two short verses, quick hooks, and a dramatic instrumental outro to spice things up. With the structure having the potential to be replicated to death, the band was able to become careful from the pre-pandemic trap, achieving the most sentimental and striking piece of teenage ennui. The band then eventually makes themselves as icons for the future. School culture is a keepsake worth noting in the psyche of Generation Z, especially where students take most of their time, energy, and memory throughout the cityscape than they could spend time in online class. Vocalist Earl Paglinawan hearty verses hit close to home while the grainy, bright synths in the intro draw out the soundscape for a more misty-eyed outlook onwards. “Panahon” is a richly textured synth-pop and alternative-rock fusion done right; It doesn’t overstay its welcome but it sure does make a powerful statement: Everything surrounding your institution, is your second home. Hey June! exudes this certain charisma: one that would only be executed in one-of-a-lifetime, and “Panahon” is proof that this youthful spirit is important to sing about. Youth culture has never sounded this promising and Hey June! are here to take it to the top of the line. Support the art & the artist: