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:
REVIEWS
EP REVIEW: Shockpoint – Rhythm Zero
Written by Louis Pelingen Right from the jump, Shockpoint breaks things apart like a Titan pummeling its way through with its heavy fists. They demonstrate their handle on Metallic Hardcore on their 3 track demo last year, equipping themselves with all forms of rage that they can muster; shredding everything apart as the drums crumble, guitars seethe, and vocals thrashing amongst the decaying, fatalist destruction around them. If this is how much they can crush things down just based on their demo, what awaits their path in their future will be dealt with with more bulk in their core. In ‘New creature is born…’, the track immerses itself into what Shockpoint is heading into with this EP; the vocal sample narrating the crudeness that awaits them as they trod along with riffs sparking and grinding with the drum beating sparingly alongside it. In short, this EP throttles itself even further in chewing away the scums of the Earth, using fierce guitar riffings, rumbling drum beats, and anguished vocals to Shockpoint’s advantage. Within 15 minutes of its time, the band charges onward with no consideration for respite or cool down as they willingly brute their targets down with their violent ferocity; intensifying even further as they go deeper, humanity’s cruelty exposing itself at every turn. ‘Annihilating Your Dogma’ is essentially a takedown for pro-life mentality, the chugging guitar riffs and driving drums allow the shrieking anger of the vocals to break apart the individuals within that putrid mentality. ‘Fatal Impulse’ is based upon a video showing an interrogation of a rapist and the stabbing that comes afterward, a disturbance that makes its way to its violent imagery of the lyrics as the overall track stings thanks to its rapid guitar shredding, pulsating drum patterns, and howling vocals. Tracks like ‘Parasaethesia’, ‘Rhythm Zero’, and ‘Software Gore’ revolve around the performance art itself. ‘Parasaethesia’ takes to a slower yet noisier soundscape as the guitars get noisier and the drums get sharper. ‘Rhythm Zero’ cuts through religious pleas as the vocals are at their most unburdened and ravenous, accompanied by rapid-fire drum breakdowns and guitar ravishings. While the EP and its cavernous crushing atmosphere come in and out from time to time, “Rhythm Zero” mostly holds up due to its consistent takedowns of the caustic mentalities that surround in the most open and in the most subtle of places. It manages to not exhaust its formidable energy but to let that rage simmer and break apart the cruelty that wraps everything and everyone in its wake. Support the art & the artist: https://shockpointhc.bandcamp.com/album/rhythm-zero Rhythm Zero by Shockpoint
EP REVIEW: Goon Lagoon – Rocket Peace
Written by Nikolai Dineros Elev8 Me L8r has no shortage of young, explosive rock-oriented bands to their name, but Goon Lagoon’s unapologetic take on grunge harkening back to the genre’s ‘90s roots proves to be their one defining aspect. The last couple of years has also shown us bits and pieces of what the band has going for with their sound (with varying degrees of success), with 2022’s Machine Gun being their most notable. In one of our previous reviews, we highlighted the song for its off-kilter motif and chaotic twists and turns. Now, with the release of Rocket Peace, Goon Lagoon’s identity is much clearer — and what used to be the band’s best work is now a part of something bigger. As the Goon Lagoon hype ele8ed (sorry) with gig announcements alongside this EP launch, so did Machine Gun’s cult fame, while a slightly superior Down The Drain seeped through the cracks as the band’s best material to date. “Down the Drain” is in-your-face in almost every way, with its muffled vocals, infectious riff, and drowning levels of flangers. Amid the chaos and noise, the songs in Rocket Peace have a lullaby quality reminiscent of Sonic Youth, with guitar solos and synths aplenty. This is especially the case with the closing track “Pocket Grease,” which I assume is a wordplay on the record’s name or the other way around. ‘Rocket Peace’ is so full of surprises that it’s almost criminal of me to include that in this review, as the EP’s explosiveness is what the record is built upon; each surprise comes when you least expect them. And when they do, they hit you at just the right spot. SUPPORT THE ART & THE ARTIST:
EP REVIEW: Dilaw – Sansinukob
Written by Elijah P. The romanticization of the “universe” or the “universal” depends on the current conditions of the artist. Whether or not you come from a higher place in the Alps or from ground-level urban areas, this “universe” the artist is pertaining to might be a bubble that hasn’t burst yet. And this bubble we’re talking about is “Sansinukob”, a 6-track debut project from the fast-rising 5-piece outfit Dilaw. Coming from the province of Benguet, the then-Baguio duo of Dilaw has now expanded into a full unit, equipped with extra members to solidify their tighter material. What is left of Dilaw Obrero’s quips and qualms on the higher-ups and government officials made room for more material and slightly tolerable material about love, the galaxy being yours, or just being yourself in general. “Sansinukob” is an exhibition of Dilaw’s lyrical prowess and powerful stage presence both live and on record. With the title track suddenly showing its sudden double-time tempo right smack dab in the middle of the track, there’s experimentation sitting right in the bridges of Dilaw’s structures. The band isn’t a backing band; they’ve brought heavy and tighter skill to the table, and it goes without saying that the band has a lot to show other than their chief singer-songwriter. In “3019” and “Kaloy”, Dilaw ping-pongs aggressively back-to-back in tracks with the former talking about corruption (the numbers at the title literally mean Republic Act 3019, The Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act) and the former taking the perspective of an individual on a downward spiral due to the surroundings affecting them. Both of these tracks sit right in the middle of the EP, making almost no connections or storyline threading to the previous title track, making not one but two sore thumbs stick out in the project. “Maskara” suffers the same fate as the two conscious rap tracks: defanging the biting power an artist has to call an initiative to go against the grain and demand for change. And now we get to the popular track — arguably the most popular track of the now — “Uhaw”. Backed by a ton of guitar licks, Obrero’s shivering and quivering journey for love. This shows that Obrero and company can write actual semi-ballads with no unnecessary tongue-twisting verses. But the need to have two versions in the same EP is cashing in on the hype, shamelessly including both the same songs just to reactivate some streaming numbers. Neither the defense of having two versions for narrative purposes barely helps in making “Sansinukob” any better. This isn’t a multiverse the MCU wants in terms of bringing two songs of the same feather. If anything, Dilaw’s shown so much impressive technical skill. Whether we like it or not, the band has the muscle and brain to think of cleverly written guitar lines, drum breaks, floating synths, and groovy basslines. However, there are songs that work to the rest of the song’s detriment, including the precious hitmaker. The EP is basically just “Uhaw” and friends. There’s nothing wrong with admitting that the EP is only in the public consciousness for That One Song. However, in what seems to be the most laughable twist of fate, the universe has a way of responding to its namesake. The band does not have the soul to breathe life to anything more than “Uhaw” Again, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with being a one-trick pony. However, for all its neighs and whinnies, this horse came out limping. Support the art and 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:
EP REVIEW: LORY – Cramped
Written by Elijah P. Terno Recording’s wunderkind Lory has stepped out of his comfort zone from being a lone bedroom pop producer from Parañaque to becoming a full blown three-piece with added layers in the mix. In his latest EP “Cramped”, you get to see Mikee Mendoza becoming more lethargic-sounding, scooping all the gruff and making his surroundings a bit louder, albeit a bit rougher than usual. He’s grown to unlike the pop fluff and embrace much of the textures. It’s almost getting there, it just needs a little stir in the pot. In other words, Lory and his friends just need a little bit of spoiled choices in soundscapes rather than choose to spoil the party entirely in reflection of past material. “Cramped” is treated as a sampler to Mikee’s next endeavors for his solo project rather than a bookend to his phase of city pop. Moving on to greater and bigger soundscapes rather than staying in the four corners of his room, you have tracks like “Huli Na Ba Kayo”, “Di Siguro” and “The Sun” embracing all the noise and continuously experimenting what he can do as a musician. Is the EP an “achievement” of sorts? Listeners would doubt its pop resonance and bright textures and would possibly question its length, but “Cramped” is more of an intentional practice of sorts. In “Slow Down”, you’ll be surprised by how this sounds like it should stay from the previous EP. Confidence is what is lacking in Mikee’s presence and maybe a bit of a looser and more liberating use of vocal filters to make Mikee’s voice shine as well as his lead guitars. But as his deadpan delivery persists in the latter half of the EP, the voice becomes a grower in a sense where Mikee’s voice does shine if you look at it in a more uncharismatic-charismatic lens. LORY’s “Cramped” has its ups and downs but to the project’s benefit, the reception is enough to not dismiss the project entirely for the lack of trying and enthusiasm being brought. There are guitar lines and synths being put to good use and maybe “Cramped” is seen better as Mikee’s ground zero compared to what the debut project was at the dawn of the post-lockdown last year. 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:
EP REVIEW: Disco Mobile Service – You’re Here Now
Written by Louis Pelingen Sometimes, we wonder what has changed with the places we missed visiting beforehand. We wonder if these places still end up today, if there is a change of tone and presence in the familiar paths and sceneries we always encapsulate in our minds so many times. Did these places, even if met with the chance of being abandoned, still hold up their gentle images to poke our unnerved spirits within sociopolitical events breaking us all apart? For Disco Mobile Service aka Jomied Armancio hailing from Visayas, he aims to form a record that collages samples to compose a tropical dystopian soundtrack for the country given political events that gets harrowing at every turn. It was an idea that he eventually worked on in 2022, moving past the universal mental anxieties most of us have gone through during pandemic lockdowns and steadily working his way to finally put out his first ever project under Disco Mobile Service, ‘You’re Here Now’. In this EP, Disco Mobile Service records still memories, and fragmented ambiance from environments he himself visited, and constructs sonic frameworks around it to formulate said tropical dystopian soundscape. Disco Mobile Service wanders around with this framework with measured ambient dub and downtempo, his compositions never snapping apart immediately and opting to modulate in and out of the sonic scope. ‘Eyesocket’ opens up its observations of this muted concept, the thumping tropical beat marches through as recordings of foggy birdsong are enveloped with these hypnotic synth swells. ‘New Forest Exit’ lurks further in the undergrowth of tactile and grainy field recordings as the dour synths drone through the song. The tempered percussion lines linger and rumble alongside spare yet gleaming keys combat that dourness within the forest of fleeting recordings. ‘Concrete’ ends the EP in its most ominous, waves of noise fogging the start before pillars of worrying synths wash over the track. The drum beat composed of tropical percussion and digital drums consistently stomps all the way through, paving its way through drops of conversations and beeping vehicles as it toughens up its rhythm lines, ending the EP where that propulsive beat lives through the dystopian view of the record. Despite a few instrumental passages that do jitter the flow of a few of these songs, ‘You’re Here Now’ is a statement of affirmation of where we are now currently after a myopic past few years. It reinstates our inner emotions in the present, viewing the rips and pieces of the past that we collected and remembered in our kaleidoscopic memory. It is ominous how Disco Mobile Service utilizes atmosphere and modulation in his compositions. But even with the dystopia that surrounds this EP, that trudging beat reminds all of us that even with the crushing state of the country at large and the environment that we thought to have changed for the worse, we are now wrapped with coats of comfort despite casted shadows that reminds us how much it’ll get uncomfortable in the future. Support the art & the artist: [bandcamp width=350 height=470 album=2609554962 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false]
EP REVIEW: Lil JVibe – WHOLE LOTTA LUVSHIT
Written by Elijah P. Lil JVibe’s “WHOLE LOTTA LUVSHIT” without a shadow of a doubt, has transcended the level of pop rap songwriting to the point that it’s impossible to retrace back to the days of piano-led “love rap” that was prominent in underground DIY hip-hop music in the mid to late 2000s in the Filipino music scene. But before we proceed to the conclusion, for past edgelords and terminally online historians, Lil JVibe aka Joven David used to be the subject of memes back in 2016 for simply showing the moves inside of an unnamed 7-Eleven branch somewhere in the urban parts of Metro Manila. From the Chris Brown-isms of his dance moves to the sudden transformation of Sample Drill from New York and Jersey Club rapper, Lil JVibe came out of the scene like a torpedo and he managed to hit every single target in the pop rap iceberg. “WHOLE LOTTA LUVSHIT” is the debut project we’ve never asked for but it is the debut project that we do need in this day of age. As much as the topic of sampling and rehashing ideas such as singing along to the chorus of your favorite pop songs is concerned, Joven does it so earnestly to the point that it doesn’t act to his detriment, but rather he gains from it exponentially; literally every track on the project such as “Prince Say” sampling Taylor Swift’s Love Story or “Hip o Thighs”, sampling Hypnotized by Plies and A-kon has ascended to a different level of existence. This goes without saying that Gem Productions’ hands-on work is nothing short of amazing. With the current soundscapes popping in and out, Joven slides across those beats almost flawlessly. There’s an unloading of unrequited feelings and there’s melodic longing all over in this project and those specific elements are home to no complaints. Lil JVibe’s “WHOLE LOTTA LUVSHIT” acts like a mixtape done with the literal meaning of labor of love and an untapped skill more rappers nowadays shouldn’t be scared of doing.