Written by Noelle Alarcon Davao-based trio tuesday trinkets possess an eclectic demeanor to their name. Each of their heads is tinged with neon, and their personalities are written all over their cover art; From the distinctive ways they dress to the playful doodles over their faces. Their sound on the other hand? A promising, syrupy brand of power pop that would reverberate through the end of a 2000s chick flick. Endearing and reminiscent of good times long forgotten, like a trinket you dig up from a coat pocket on a random Tuesday. “Cigarettes, Beer, and Stray Cats,” tuesday trinkets’ debut single, is a bright, beaming introduction to what they have to offer. The plush guitar welcomes you: it’s fuzzed out enough to welcome you into a cozy atmosphere, but sharp enough to be radio-friendly. It’s a tasteful style akin to the way record label Dirty Hit crafts the whimsy of early aughts pop for the 21st century. Even the bass and drums are simple enough to let the song’s message shine through, zeroing in on delivering as much impact as possible. The thumping of the strings marches along the frets, a catchy bassline in between the tracks that makes way for the snare drum-drenched rhythm evoking as much nostalgia as it can. The band’s capabilities of writing catchy pop are audibly from experience; their influences undeniably nestle in between the lines. As early as their first single, they know how to tweak the blueprint to match their strengths. Their written word captures the zeitgeist of what it means to date in your youth. Smoking a pack of cigarettes together, feeding cats you consider your babies, and living for nothing else but the moment. It’s a love story plucked straight from Polaroids and crumpled, handwritten letters with promises written in cursive. Sure, there are plenty of other songs that sound like this one–but their awareness of what makes a song memorable shows that they’re headed in the right direction. It’s the simplicity of their approach that easily touches the listener. “Cigarettes, beer, and stray cats…” — the lyric echoes throughout the track until its conclusion. It’s such a simple set of words, but with the way tuesday trinkets paints the scene, they end up as components of moments you’ll relive until your very last breath. With a band as capable as them when it comes to invoking sentimentality, those who like to look back have a new shoulder to cry on. Whenever things get too heavy, there’s a pack of Marlboro reds, a cold bottle of beer, and a bunch of felines waiting to rest with you. Support the art and the artist:
Category: TRACKS
TRACK REVIEW: Andrea Obscura – Garden
Written by Gabriel Bagahansol After two years of inactivity, indie pop singer-songwriter Andrea Obscura re-emerges with a track that sees her manifesting the affection of a lover to settle down and—much like vines on a fence—grow together. True to this song’s name, her latest single conjures images of a garden teeming with life, cultivated by a loving couple through a lifetime of care and attention. All the parts that make up this song were performed with a marked tenderness. Electric guitars radiate like gentle sunlight over plants rooted to the ground by a steady rhythm section. These plants, of course, are the words Andrea would love to say to the person she wants to grow this garden with. Flanked by many-layered vocals, she lets them know in simple terms just how much she pines for their company, how willing she is to open herself up for this person, and how the search for their intimacy has left her weak and restless. From the song’s midpoint onwards, a hook is sung like an incantation, as though she were summoning her future lover right in the middle of that very garden. The purity of Andrea’s desires and intentions manifests itself in the clean production of this recording, which graces the ears with clarity and at just the right volume. Here, she tends to an ecosystem of lush melodies with a careful but confident touch, and a voice so delicate, it almost puts the song at risk of fleeting away like a cloud in a clear sky. But just as much as a plant needs the right amount of sun and water to grow well, these are all what the song needs to bloom life out of your speakers. Calling back to the landscapes painted with words by romantics so long ago, “Garden” is for those who want to devote a part of their lives to someone in a very special place. Listen to this song a few times, and you just might start waltzing with an imaginary lover somewhere in a grassy field over and over until, one day, somebody’s holding on to your arms in a dance only the two of you will know very well. Support the art and the artist:
TRACK REVIEW: Novocrane – Safe and Sound
Written by Rory Marshall Following the release of their first single “Imaginary Party”, Bacolod’s budding rock project Novocrane doubles down on their dream pop style with their second-ever single “Safe and Sound”. Studious listeners will remember a bare-bones version of the track being teased a year ago on their Soundcloud under the name “from there,” but now it’s polished with their aesthetic that meshes indie rock and dream pop. In contrast to their first single, “Safe and Sound” takes an introspective turn and looks inward. The song tackles the conundrum of self-isolation. Kai Sevillano, the band’s lead, gives the listener a front row seat to her thought process, presenting the quandary ruminating in her mind: While one can find refuge in being alone, the suffocating demand for human connection is ever-present. The songwriting adds a layer of candidness to the words that is evocative of an anxiety-induced trail of thought and gives room to showcase her warm and intimate vocals. The vocal performance and poignant lyrics are only accentuated by the marriage of indie rock and dream pop, which is becoming a defining feature for Novocrane’s overall sound. The way the band coalesces the grungy guitar and high-attack drums with bright, glittery synths drowned in reverb creates an atmosphere of angst that will make you bob your head while you rethink your approach to relationships. In combination with Sevillano’s resonant vocal performance, it yields such a cohesive sound that it’s hard to believe that this is just their second release. “Safe and Sound,” along with their previous single “Imaginary Party,” lays a promising groundwork for the Novocrane’s growth. Their charming soundscape has once again proven to be a welcome addition to the indie scene. With this track being only their second-ever official release, fans are eager to see how they expand on this fusion of genres in future projects. Support the art and the artist:
TRACK REVIEW: fitterkarma – Pag-Ibig ay Kanibalismo II
Written by Gabriel Bagahansol Love makes you look for extremes in the mundane. The moment you realize the person beside you is the one you want to be with for life, you will do anything and everything to make sure the rest of the world exists for just the two of you. Love is a delightfully selfish thing, and if it means gladly cutting people up to turn them into stew at a dinner for two, then so be it. fitterkarma starts off their latest single sounding like a quintessential OPM ballad band from the 2000s; the potent blend of acoustic guitars and powerful snare drums, along with such a forward, in-your-face vocal performance, captures the sentimentality still craved by all two decades on. It’s perfect. In fact, it’s a little too perfect. Give this song a different set of lyrics and this would’ve been a drop in a sea of other senti hits. But fitterkarma has chosen not to float gently over love’s comforting waves. Instead, they’re diving down a trench, going against deep-sea pressure to explore something more overwhelming within the dark depths of love’s waters. Consider the idea of sharing blood-drenched kisses after a night of devouring tons of unsuspecting people. Death and destruction invoke euphoria, fueling a utopian paradise that washes away each other’s sorrows. You wouldn’t need drugs for that: that’ll get you in trouble anyway. These unhinged desires are the heart and soul of “Pag-Ibig ay Kanibalismo II”. Beneath the comfort of the music is a captivating void willing you to feed into the most morbid of romantic impulses; from sharing warm adobo made with love and somebody’s heart, to letting each other’s blood become one through the lips. These images, and the musical performance that carry them, form an irresistibly gory metaphor for love. fitterkarma’s embrace of folk horror to define romance is a stunning defiance over the usual idea that purity in love is only clean. After all, one of the strongest expressions of love is the unconditional acceptance of the one in front of you. And sometimes, that means consuming each other and shutting down all there is around you until all that is left is a quiet, tranquil bliss. Support the Art and the Artist:
TRACK REVIEW: zayALLCAPS – MTV’s Pimp My Ride
Written by Elijah P. It isn’t blatant nostalgia. In fact, it’s the opposite – almost a parody of it. But who’s counting? zayALLCAPS leans hard in between the College Dropout-era “Slow Jamz” and XXYYXX debut territory with his infectious single, “MTV’s Pimp My Ride.” The LA-to-Sacramento Fil-Am crooner-rapper hybrid dropped what could be part of a larger, era-defining compilation tape, but here, R&B gets stripped down to its barest parts. And in this standalone track, somehow it’s also his most cohesive single to date. This isn’t the smooth, synth-led sound of one-dimensional R&B. Instead, zayALLCAPS pulls from the raw textures of the early 2010s LA beat scene, delivering a jagged, off-kilter love letter to the genre. The track stacks harmony over harmony, layering falsetto and grit against pounding 808s that bend the shape of the song. It’s disorienting in the best way, warping the flow just enough to keep you leaning forward. But even as the production threatens to unravel, zayALLCAPS stays locked in vocally, anchoring every moment. “MTV’s Pimp My Ride” sticks. There’s a reason West Coast melodicism has lasted this long, and zayALLCAPS makes it clear he’s not letting go anytime soon. SUPPORT THE ART & THE ARTIST:
TRACK REVIEW: Tatz Maven – Handang Malunod Sa’yo
Written by Louis Pelingen The years since Tatz Maven’s debut album have seen him explore more of his range as an artist. Still sharp in terms of his production work, but his attempt to sing more and emphasize a melodic direction on his compositions has been fascinating to listen to. An attempt that has clearly shown its strides, releasing more songs since 2020 in a slow yet steady approach that allows more time to bring out the best of his artistic growth. And with the recent release of “Handang Malunod Sa’yo”, this song only reinforces the fact that Tatz Maven is on his A-game as a producer right now. The sharp drum lines playing amidst strong bass lines and guitar swerves are produced impeccably, with Tatz Maven’s vocal lines showing a lot of coursing melody and emotional zest. Remarkably, bringing out the complicated feeling of traversing through a partner’s melancholy, where even if it can be emotionally suffocating, the willingness to stand beside them despite it all only strengthens their connection. While it may still take a while before Tatz Maven is ready to turn that past crop of singles into a project, “Handang Malunod Sa’yo” is a sheer force of will punching through one of his staggering songs to date. Compelling from so many angles, where even the vastness of the sea can’t pull it down. It’s worth the dive. Support the art and the artist:
TRACK REVIEW: SHANNi – SSS (stuck song)
Written by Adrian Jade Francisco Marikina’s up-and-coming pop artist SHANNi decides to elevate the groove in her latest single. In “SSS (stuck song),” her soft Manila sound explores a funky city-pop environment, a dreamy but exuberant track that tackles the narrative of a push-pull dynamic in a relationship. “SSS (stuck song)” is a stark contrast from the past three singles in the area of her sound elements. The lush texture, infectious guitar, boogie-worthy synth, and piano layers revisit the era of retro-fueled rhythms. It is irresistibly catchy, pulling the listener into a repetitive whirl, much like the endless loop of a vinyl, right from the first listen. “SSS (stuck song)” and its lyrical construction does not stray away from her previous releases; Instead, the production takes the spotlight. While her ‘70s-esque torch ballad inspirations led her to venture into nostalgia-driven hits, it does not reinvent the homage it is leaning on. It lacks the innovative approach to the funk-rock and city-pop genre. Although SHANNi did not opt to introduce something fresh in the soundscape of the aforementioned genre, her ability to widen her palette may be a positive sign. SHANNi’s talent and skill are undeniable when she puts out replayable jams like “SSS (stuck song)” as she continues to explore her artistic facade. If she consistently maintains this momentum, she’s likely to produce more bangers that stick like gum, replaying over and over like this one. SUPPORT THE ART AND THE ARTIST:
TRACK REVIEW: kyleaux – NOTICE ME
Written by Louis Pelingen Stepping outside the dense smoke of his past releases, “NOTICE ME” acts as the next progression for kyleaux’s creative prowess. Replacing rapid warbles with sleeker R&B cadences that compliment his desire for romantic attention, one that requires a level of inviting charisma that Kyleaux proves to handle in potent strides. Paired with the nimble bass groove, shimmering synths, and textured boom-bap percussion, it coalesces to Kyleaux’s melodic arsenal, instantly pulling the attention of the listener into the song. It may be a little bit quaint mixing-wise – especially around kyleaux’s vocals – yet the overall melody coming through his vocals and his instrumental is silk as butter. This results in said quaint mixing becoming a feature rather than a weakness of this whole song, a deceptive magic under kyleaux’s growing bag of tricks. One that’s worth noticing further as he constructs more of these low-key yet delightful songs. SUPPORT THE ART AND THE ARTIST:
TRACK REVIEW: Paprikka – Itataya
Written by JK Caray Starting out by covering beloved City pop tracks, Manila-based singer-songwriter Paprikka releases her debut track “Itataya” as the next step to the career she’s been building. In a burst of creative inspiration, Paprikka decides to gamble to make it big—and sure enough, she hits it on her first try. From the get-go, Paprikka’s determined to make the city pop genre her own. Belting in straight Filipino, she channels that ‘kikay’ attitude of the Manila sound—think the whimsical, carefree fun in Rachel Alejandro’s Mr. Kupido and you get the gist. Her performance on the track playfully tethers between a cheerful schoolgirl on a first date and yearning alongside a high school crush. It’s warm and fuzzy, charming, and corny yet you giggle every time the memory crosses your mind. Overall, “Itataya” shows a lot of promise for Paprikka’s career, signifying she has an ear for producing memorable hits. At times, however, it becomes too similar to the whistles of the Japanese City pop tune, down to its clichéd bass groove and bells. As common as this pitfall may be for anyone starting in the genre, there’s no doubt that she’ll cultivate her style along the way if she truly wants to reinvent the genre. In the meantime, “Itataya” is a gamble worth taking if it leads to being a one-of-a-kind pop star like Paprikka. SUPPORT THE ART AND THE ARTIST:
TRACK REVIEW: KAIA – Tanga
Written By Lex Celera Leading up to its music video release, KAIA released a number of one-minute “concept films” on their social media accounts, featuring each member depicting potentially romantic moments gone awry. And while the promotional videos are just long enough to capture the feeling, KAIA’s “Tanga” unpacks this romantic type of love with nuance without losing the sheen of its pop structure. Within the highly engineered lens of pop is a fantastical but relatable world built through image and sound, cultivated during and in between music releases, “Tanga” checks all the boxes of what is serviceable and “radio-friendly.” The single is catchy, it has earworm-worthy chorus and showcases upbeat rhythms. For KAIA, “Tanga” is a boon to its music catalog, sitting pretty beside “Walang Biruan.” While the latter pushed KAIA sonically, “Tanga” remains decisive in fine-tuning their sound. Zack Tabudlo’s mastery of examining expressions and receptions of love and putting them into words without sounding preachy leads to a satisfying pop track. More than lyrics, the harmonies are satisfyingly layered and the adlibs are discreet but playful. It’s safe to assume that these additions to KAIA’s repertoire are a result of close collaboration with the more experienced Tabudlo. What’s most compelling in “Tanga” is the levity created between the twee lightheartedness of its melodies and the abject sadness presented by its lyrics. Why do we carry on with unrequited love or romance beyond red flags? In “Tanga,” anger at the act and love for the other can happen at the same time. These themes are explored but never really go anywhere. And that’s fine. What matters for KAIA is one-minute moments and three-minute odes to these moments, portraying a feeling that can be sustained upon multiple listens. KAIA’s charm shines bright in “Tanga,” and while admittedly safer than their past releases, forms a full-bodied discography thanks to its well-considered lyricism and composition. SUPPORT THE ART AND THE ARTIST: