Written by Elijah P. Suyen Pintor and the gang have performed unreleased tracks all around the Metro. After so long and so many online demos here and there, the time has come for her to release a recording of what has been the most lauded track in her arsenal. Being the most anticipated “it girl” in the underground, she means serious business. Mixed and mastered by ONE CLICK STRAIGHT’s Sam Marquez, the production quality is on an even playing field that compliments the right amount of angst Suyen wants to display in the track; From the chugging pre-chorus to the signature vocal delivery, you’d wonder how SUYEN perfectly represents absolute femme rage, all the while being the antithesis of pop rock locally. Her music is an undeniable imprint of grunge in the landscape of happy-kumbaya culture. Her debut single is long overdue, but not to the point that the track itself has overstayed its welcome. “Sonic Tonic” sounds just like the title: gratifying, ripping and full of adrenaline. While “Sonic Tonic” is a blistering heat wave of 90’s riotgrrl energy and grunge worship, everything in between just evens out. As the track pierces every single wall of noise and shatters all frequency, what you have left in the writing is humanity wanting to shout in angst. This is the rock music everyone wants to hear. Suyen has arrived. SUPPORT THE ART & THE ARTIST:
Tag: Elijah P.
ALBUM REVIEW: bird. – oshin
Written by Elijah P. 11 years after the release of dream pop and post-punk band from Brooklyn, New York’s DIIV, another band from the other side of the planet decides to name their debut album after the onomatopoeia of “ocean”. Enter Locked Down Entertainment’s bird. from Metro Manila, a 5-piece established by members from Chicosci, Save Me Hollywood, Musical O and Lindenwood. They’ve got experience and veteran status on their sleeve but as bird., they got a clean slate in the 10-track album “oshin”. The album sounds equal parts aquatic and desert-like; the former equipping drowned-out guitars and the latter chest-bumping percussion that has a high potential in clipping through the speakers. You might think that it’s balanced with all elements of the earth, but in reality it’s just 5 members showing off their surf tricks at the coast. That, in particular, is what made this band essential: surf music. But there’s more to it than just riding the waves and sitting by the beach side. Ever since their inception around early 2019, they’ve had “#vibecore” written all over their bios, but the album neither justifies the tag. They’re a step above what their descriptors are. There’s something that sounds incredibly wider production-wise – a lot more robust than any other tender-sounding band that gives off the weekend at the beach during peak season with the family. bird. doesn’t hold back its punchy rhythm sections, drummer Hannah’s tight performance, and vocalist Eco Del Rio’s ghostly presence. It’s all 100 percent from here. Significant highlights like “maria”, “Weekend”, “hardwood jack” and “the stranger” possess this kind of spiritual alternative rock taking over the musician’s astral plane while “Ride”, “san juan” and “sl” share the commonalities of being in a vacation. As mentioned before, there’s a balance to the self-confessional side of Eco Del Rio and the side of the band’s frolicking nature all the while kitting out the heavier guns at the studio. bird. is a culmination of everything that alternative rock has the potential to be locally: atmospheric, unserious, rugged, honest, and raw. SUPPORT THE ART & THE ARTIST:
TRACK REVIEW: BAHAW BOYZ – CHOY
Boasted as “Budots Drill” for locals, Davao City’s BAHAW BOYZ samples the classic Budots ‘tiw-tiw’ in Sample Drill’s most outrageous entry to date. Aptly titled “CHOY”, the three-verse gunfire bounces along the “sayaw mga choy” sample in between its fire hazard New York-influenced drill production. The quintet has released a handful of loosies and underwhelming trap production before “CHOY” but we’d like to see it as a warming-up session before the trailblazing subgenre that is “Budots Drill”. Looking and listening to it in hindsight, it could’ve been a form perfected pre-pandemic but time does have no boundaries or ends and it’s much better to have it now rather than never. What’s next for BAHAW BOYZ may depend on their next move, maybe it’s good to maintain that momentum or better to push the envelope by incorporating different forms or samples of Budots by working with actual Budots producers in the long run. But for now, “CHOY” is at the present defining the future. It’s about time for a mutation of Davao’s dance music to shape in its most aggressive form. Support the art & the artist:
TRACK REVIEW: kyleaux & k1ko – Gusto Kita
Written by Elijah P. Philippine 2-step might be a pipe dream for neophytes who are born past the 2000s. But for others who’ve seen r&b delve in the corners of UK-influenced electronic music, “Gusto Kita” by 25 Hearts’ very own kyleaux & k1ko is a blessing for everyone born and adopted in the garridge and jersey hype. After inevitably yet unexpectedly earning the virality in the former’s TikTok account, the richly-textured, glitchy and suave paves the way for possible pop music writing in today’s standards. Rapper kyleaux was able to let go of typical rap structures, instantly hopping on the melodic side of writing. And with the assistance of pitch-shifting, beat switching and atmospheric production of k1ko, the duo is untouchable with this single on lock in one hundred percent accuracy. “Gusto Kita” isn’t too late in the hype with the charming vocal delivery, chameleonic production, and the visual appeal of a bubblegum pop superstar duo. SUPPORT THE ART & THE ARTIST:
EP REVIEW: Precal Dropouts – Little One, Travel Far
Written By Elijah P. Davao City’s Precal Dropouts are easy to spot in the current crop of local shoegaze, dream pop and post-punk revival bands. You have guitarists Josh and Jan Mark and bassist Ben going back and forth in scorching riffages and swells higher than the altitude of a souvlaki space station. In their debut EP “Little One, Travel Far”, the three-track project feels less of an overdue and more of an arrival right on time in the shoegaze-dreampop canon. Their sensibilities can go beyond the gazing distortion and winding chords; there are prog influences here and cohesion there. Precal Dropouts might as well become the unit that’s become new-fashioned and refreshing among their scene contemporaries. The result of “Little One, Travel Far” and its intended songwriting are ripe enough to achieve the level of ambition as far as shoegaze/dreampop goes; Josh’s wave-causing riffages are enough to combat John Mark and Ben’s driving instrumentals. There’s actual synergy happening behind the noise and we’re here for all of it. The aughts post-punk influenced title track is a sonic introductory to the band: fast, interlocking fuzz and distortions and reverberated yet not overbearing vocals. “Stay…It’s Eventide” hangs on tight with its buildup ready to bust down some soundproof walls. The last and centerpiece of the entire EP “There & Back Again” are filled with guitar solos after the other, sprinkling the track with colorful arpeggios and impressive technical skill displayed by its beautifully arranged rhythm section. It’s safe to say that there aren’t any hiccups and overlapping melodies that ruin any of the noise, it’s as straightforward as any shoegaze record in the 2020s could get; Genuine friendship can make up the best product of art, but Josh, Jan Mark and Ben are the best of friends even if the pedals are off in “Little One, Travel Far”. Support the art & the artist:
TRACK REVIEW: Angelo Shinohara – sayo
Written by Elijah P. Angelo Shinohara’s TikTok account is nothing but your typical “pogi cover” singer-songwriter. Cherry picking the latest alternative in the musicsphere and earning 6-digit views day in and day out, Shinohara in the light is the cliche viral artist, but in the dark, he’s different. Enter the shoegaze/dreampop version of Angelo Shinohara: the noisier, vocal fronted and fuzz-drenched pretty face side of the singer-songwriter. The ambient slowcore to quietgaze pipeline is evident in acts like Title Fight, Whirr and Starflyer 59, but Shinohara doesn’t make himself a copycat of either of the aforementioned bands, but rather a painfully shameless second-version of his inspirations. The influences have depth, grit, and an overarching narrative between the noise. Shinohara has neither. “sayo” is touted as the viral shoegaze love song of the rainy season. Shinohara and friends are saluting to their shoegaze idols heavily, both sonically and lyrically. “sayo” is arguably the first ever shoegaze track that draws on so many influences but the result of which becomes a blank canvas of ideas for Shinohara. And as much as the track is an exploration of soundscapes for the songwriter, the sound and writing barely carried the track in its dragging 4-minute runtime. The longer “sayo” lasts, the more it proves to be a one-dimensional hugot track amplified by muffled distortion. In repeated listens, the track magnifies in substandard production textures. “sayo” and its perfumed pedalboard doesn’t make it any better and neither does Angelo’s Greg Gonzales-esque voice and chiseled jawline doesn’t make this any more tolerable. Angelo Shinohara is a walking-singing example of a bedroom artist releasing a demo that has multiple errors than the average trials of a bedroom-shoegaze artist. Support the art & the artist:
TRACK REVIEW: Lola Amour – Raining in Manila
Written by Elijah P. Metro Manila hitmakers Lola Amour have changed musically, literally. From shifting band members to constant codeswitching in songwriting here and there, the funky pop outfit are trained to release one single at a time. One hit after the other, the Al James collab “Madali” was almost getting there, which is by the way their most technically robust, while “Fallin” was still riding on the cheese, but “Raining in Manila” is a whole different offering. You have senti-tracks that act as fodder for the label while you have refined genre tracks with pop sensibilities that have successful appeal. This band chose the latter. This is the band that isn’t just compartmentalized with their vocalist Pio Dumayas. There’s no separation anxiety happening nor any solo spotlight, instead, we get to see Lola Amour work like an actual band in their latest single. “Raining in Manila” nearly does not drag as their previous singles years ago. Assuming that their lineup change has anything to do with the sound they’re persistently tweaking, Lola Amour’s hit the jackpot at the seasonal turn that’s lowkey a love letter written for their previous band members who are on the other side of the planet. The band plays with the theme of a cheese-driven weather parochial along with their tasteful selection of keyboard licks, sharp bass lines, and saxophone parts, all hitting the spot. Minus the Dilaws and the Sunkissed Lolas, scene virtuoso Lola Amour and “Raining in Manila” is a step in the direction for the band who are moving to become the biggest pop band heading to the mainstream. Support the art & the artist:
ALBUM REVIEW: Kenaniah – s/t
Lipa, Batangas’s very own Kenaniah has been hitting it big since the past year with viral Spotify hits such as “Bahala Na”, “Hindi Ikaw” and “Better Now”. O/C Records has consistently kept his schedule busy by playing a bunch of large-scale shows in the past year or so, building networks in the circuit of festivals all around the country. The 18-year old artist ticks all the boxes for sharing the same swagger with the big dogs of mainstream pop rock acts that have a suit, a tie, and a guitar. He is what other “Pogi Rock” zoomers aspire to be: a talent that’s planted by the industry. After years of brewing singles, sharing one video teaser after teaser and one record milestone after the other, Kenny looks and feels like he’s ready for the music world, and so he did it by releasing his debut self-titled album under the label; The result of which was turned upside down. The 9-track album is all duds. No variation, no complimentary sonic palette whatsoever. It’s a slog to listen to, not even your favorite performative rock band that got banned from a festival couldn’t reach the level of disappointment this album has. The self-titled album starts off with “Study First”, gated reverb from the drums greets the listener in ear-grating fashion. “Bahala Na” is followed up right away but the smash single doesn’t go hard enough to justify the outdated sound Kenaniah equipped by the time of the songs being written and recorded. Heck, even mentioning all the songs in this album feels like a waste of a single burning phrase if it was commissioned per word. The album and its songs just scream “not ready”. But we all know that Kenaniah took this sound choice a step further, bringing back the sound of 2016 in zombifying effects and beating the production and writing techniques like a dead horse. This demo quality of an album is an insult to a major label that could afford solid mixing and mastering, wherein the album already feels and sounds like it’s a highschool project: it’s raw and unfinished, nothing left to chew or bite on remarkably. This self-titled debut album would rather put a caveat of “fatigue” because of how drawn out the structures are, making the album almost impossible to distinguish if it was dissected in a “music review” format. If this is what the future of Cueshe or Adie dreamed of seeing, then the word “OPM” might be already doomed by the time they first stepped into the scene. Support the art & the artist:
TRACK REVIEW: RB Slatt – Pahna
Written by Elijah P. RB Slatt is part of the vanguard of young r&b/electronic/rap producers blowing things out of the water with their string of singles and remix that are influenced by several internet genres from the 2020s. Lambasted by the mainstream hip hop community for their looks and execution, RB Slatt could care less about the comments who can’t contribute to the discussion that is their constant envelope-pushing production and approach to rap. Akin to the likes of brakence, underscores an glaive, RB is making a lane of their own effortlessly with Northgang cohorts like LIL JVibe and Eros Rhodes; both of which who are in equal levels of rap skill but not as close to the production circuit bending charm that RB has under his belt. Being a remix of autumn!’s “one way”, the excuse of this lacking of originality only scratches the surface of the “discourse”. The real question that listeners should ask is “Is it any better than the original?” The answer: leaps better than the original, fortunately. Bootlegs can only be bootlegs if it doesn’t surpass the real thing, but this is a special case – “Pahna” easily topples the quality of “one way” for the better. The melodic ambition of RB is tons way more presentable compared to the former’s slacker, mumble rap melodies that could pass off as background music. “Pahna” is the viral hit not one hip-hop listener asked for but it is the bonafide post-lockdown internet hit that everyone needs to hear.
TRACK REVIEW: Toneejay – Parang Magic
Written by Elijah P. Since 2021, solo singer-songwriter Toneejay has gone through different phases: beginning in the trip-hop lockdown apocalypse of a debut concept album Odyssey and a woeful slowcore-folk of Kasama Kita. Now the Pasig-based artist has switched gears in “Parang Magic” – a loosie based on leather jackets, fun green screen shenanigans, and meaty instrumentals that mix either the Phoebe’s “Kyoto” or The Strokes’ “Reptilia.” But neither tracks mentioned are a reboot. Instead, this is Toneejay’s very own world of having fun, and we’re just living in it. In this day and age of making a love song, you need to have faith by your side. That’s already a given, but what lacks most love songs today is a tight instrumental to solidify your sonic strength whilst summoning old habits of lovestruck lyricism. This goes hand in hand with some bands, but Toneejay seemed to make things work with subtly code-switching and driving bass lines along trademark falsettos throughout “Parang Magic”. Coming from solemn pieces of music in past material to upping the tempo in moshpit mode, Toneejay’s temporary departure in sound is a sign of growth; the quieter guitar parts from yesteryear have found its way through the distortion pedal, a slider, and heavy snare drums, sticking the landing evenly with the jolly tone Toneejay embarks after making the sonic leap. Overall, “Parang Magic” works wonders even in its most skeletal parts, the track still works even without the potent instrumental. I guess it works like actual magic. Support the art & the artist: