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:
Tag: Elijah P.
TRACK REVIEW: Kiyo ft. Yung Peso – Puyat
Written by Elijah P. Pampanga-based rapper Kiyo never really forgot his roots since moving from the ports of Navotas to the north side of Angeles not too long ago. His latest track “Puyat” offers introspection rather than the nostalgia trip of their previous material. Time seemed to run out for the young rapper. It wasn’t too long ago either when he released haranasa – a 15-track debut that overstayed its welcome. The debut showed more filler than a 4-verse solo track. However in “Puyat”, it was more likely that he’s been keeping these verses loaded with more impact. The compactness of these 16-bars are rich with food for thought compared to the aimless reminiscing thoughts of haranasa. Although, the listener would rather frame it this way: “Puyat” is an entry of a more mature Kiyo. The borderline boombap production and hazy pianos ride over Kiyo’s gliding melodies seamlessly. You have the flows of Kiyo complimenting the guest feature Yung Peso in the monochromatic music video; hustling in the skinny alleyways and living the life by skydiving freely. Kiyo didn’t join the rap game for fun; he joined because it made him live life more carefully. “Puyat” has all the breaks for kiyo to showcase his more melodic and lyrical sides. Support the art & the artist:
TRACK REVIEW: Peej – Islands
Written by Elijah P. Paulo Alampay also known as Peej, is a singer/songwriter and collaborator of many downtempo/pop folk artists. He’s had his fair share of exposure and delightful releases on streaming platforms as well. After several singles and an abundant number of collaborations here and there, he’s released a New Year present for fans and casual listeners alike. After the comedown that is “These Walls” and “Don’t Carry”, Peej merges together all of his ecstatic energy in a form of “Islands”. The single came out on Spotify as well as a lyric video featuring the singer-songwriter strutting behind the sunset horizon with headphones and sunglasses equipped. The composition is built like a cherry-topped sunday – sterile in the middle of the subdued soundscapes. The track works and feels like a morning jog, it gets better at first but it tires you out in the end knowing that a 8km run is an equivalent of a 4-minute and 20-second song. Peej’s vocals have definitely improved over time, only to apply it over an instrumental that barely does anything throughout the duration of its time. You have luscious guitarwork and a promising drum program that’s circuit-treated to give you serotonin, but that only works on Opposite Day; Underworked plucks of electric guitar, the drum machine pinpointing a filler and loops between loops that are already way past waking hours. “Islands” comes off as a fruitless fruit hanging by the tropical tree of its island. SUPPORT THE ART & THE ARTIST:
RACK REVIEW: Gre! – Staywme
Written by Elijah P. Once you hear the sound cues of ice bouncing on the glass and the keys bouncing a millisecond after the producer tag, you know that you’re in for a plugg showdown. Gre! – QC-based and aiming for Metro Manila’s best kept secrets – released “Staywme”, produced by dopamine, a little over a week ago in the time of this writing, and since then, it hasn’t left my mind how the rapper-slash-resident-growler-of-a-metalcore-band has an impressive streak of writing the best melodies known to the post-lockdown crowd (examples: Majica and VOID). The surprise doesn’t come from the fact that it’s a Plugg track – a formula that might be nearing its end after a shelf life two years of gig freeze alongside several Soundcloud anons trying and testing the template effectively – but rather Grei embodies the Plugg with infectious verses, executing a chorus-free single and armed with loads of melodic syllables and lines that call for “bebe time” during autotuned croons and trap hijinks, ultimately extending the possibilities of plugg once more in the latest single. “Staywme” is target practice for Grei, maybe even a no-sweat affair or rather a genre hopping test drive, either way he fits the bill in both genres. An ear for genres could mean a master scheming their way to success and “Staywme” feels like a swaggering flex of Plugg-ian proportions. Support the art & the artist:
TRACK REVIEW: RB Slatt – TAHLA
Written by Elijah P. Flying cars, anime transitions, a jersey club drum pattern and a melody ripped from a Kid Laroi track, Caloocan’s very own RB Slatt is building a world never heard before in the Northside in EIGHTEEN’s most outstanding offerings titled “TAHLA”. As close followers and homeboys claim their sound to be “hyperpop”, it’s almost unfair to box them right in the umbrella term. As RB Slatt covers a wide array of multi-fx and cross-dimensional beat switches, they surprisingly come out more cohesive than opting for a hodgepodge of digicore nonsense. Previously enabling the emo-rap of the late 2010s, RB Slatt smoothly transitions to the bitcrushed, rock-n-rolla of the internet age of the 2020s with aesthetics that call for a futuristic and almost self-destructive sonic direction in both production and vocal delivery. “TAHLA” rallies behind RB Slatt’s newly found musical identity, supporting a grander, more possible pathway for rappers to partake in this untapped, almost idle landscape of production style. But with the existence of the emotive rap acting as a precursor to RB Slatt’s chosen subgenre, he effectively capitalizes on the delivery as if to complement its salted wounds of a nasty breakup. There’s potency to vocal prowess in louder, much more chaotic instrumental, and RB Slatt slightly masters that skill in “TAHLA”. SUPPORT THE ART & THE ARTIST:
TRACK REVIEW: Kai Buizon – The Meadow
Written by Elijah P. Apart from their covers with star-studded Pangilinan relatives and siblings from well-known pop-folk adjacent bands, Kai Buizon is looking forward to coming out of that musical shell of hers in her debut single titled “The Meadow”. Released under the Sony Music label in the Philippines and repping the Ateneo Musicians’ Pool, this isn’t the first time Buizon has put this single out in the open; The first version of the track still exists somewhere in YouTube at Buizon’s personal channel and it sounds far from the finished product: enabling a more subdued albeit a slightly unremarkable touchup of the more orchestra-fronted and almost-cinematic rendition that exists in streaming platforms today, venturing into almost dreamlike territory. Buizon’s biography online is as flowery as their actual presence online is minimal all around their socials; credits citing that they’ve released “musical works” in Hollywood films. The mere musical presence of Buizon is proactively acknowledged up until the point “ The Meadow” exists in the ether. With production credits by Gabba Santiago and Tim Marquez, the delicate strings, intimidating distortion, the thumping kicks, the chapel-like backup vocals reverberating in between, it melds together seamlessly. As they all say, you can’t judge a book by its cover, and Buizon is an example of an artist with a knack of instrumentation selection and an existing music studies background as far as talent is concerned. There still exists merit in “The Meadow” – partly because of its impressive song structure, emphasizing on its epic instrumentation and emotional depth in Buizon’s songwriting. Kai Buizon is slightly a mystery online and “The Meadow” is showing promise of a songwriter whose actual talent speaks more in the work than it is face value. Support the art & the artist:
TRACK REVIEW: YiYi and Piel ft. Xeno – Lumang Litrato
For a track like “Lumang Litrato” to micro-trend in a niche part of Twitter, it’s impressive to see how much lore has been built prior to the release of the track. From Yiyi’s ultimate hatred of the city of Dasmarinas to sending letters of a dearly departed loved one ala the intro of Silent Hill 2, there’s so much to unpack with 00s loverap revival alongside the unexpected backstory to YiYi’s sleeper hit. With emphasis on YiYi’s high pitched hook-writing to Piel’s bellowing rapping, it’s giving what Repablikan gave us back in the day, but in the case of YiYi, it doesn’t suffer from novelty either. The track released before it titled “SINTA TELL ME”, YiYi and Piel are serious about building the lore of their relationship alongside the visual aesthetic that comes along with their pastiche of Friendster-era emoticons and YouTube karaoke cues. “Lumang Litrato” took a couple of listens to grasp the gravity of the situation even if its obscured by foggy Baguio-esque aesthetics and digicam shots of YiYi walking across a field all the while longing for their lover to come back from the grave. There’s beats to savor in both tracks and the production is laudable enough to give justice to the lore that both YiYi and Piel are building for themselves. Support the art & the artist:
ALBUM REVIEW: Cheats – Houseplants
Written by Elijah P. After almost 5 years since their last album “Before The Babies”, alternative-rock 7-piece Cheats talk about everything that’s past after their sophomore album; everything that’s past the lockdown, and everything that’s past the grieving process in their latest album titled “Houseplants”. Housing over 12 tracks and running over at 49 minutes, it took a while for the band to let the songs they’ve written for this album to sit and simmer. Let alone some songs were written when their members were facing turbulent times of their lives, even pre-pandemic. If their debut was a honeymoon period for indie rockers and their denim jackets, “Before the Babies” were the millennial anthems and wishes that could’ve been, then “Houseplants” is a culmination of the band’s chemistry, both as a musician and non-musician perspective. Although lengthier and front-loaded than their previous albums, Cheats hold no punches when it comes to writing lines about appealing to a lover, asking for someone to stay even longer or to survive in a tragic event, and so on and so forth. “Houseplants” has all members grow artistically not just individually but also as a unit, especially for the tandem of vocalists Candy Gamos and Saab Magalona-Bacarro; Their layered vocals hit the notes on top of every single textured guitar riffage, possessing every bit of melody that’s been in the playbook of pop songwriting while surfing on a Broken Social Scene-esque template. In tracks like “Cans”, “Honey Calm Down”, “Kapit” and “Hakbang”, vocals shine throughout the entirety of its runtime, gracefully singing every anthemic hook after hook. “Not To Be Alone” and “Cake” are slower and gritty drum machine-assisted tracks where rhythm guitars shine the most. “Houseplants” has it all balanced to a T. But maybe those benefits won’t be able to weigh the actual length that it goes to finish the album in one sitting. Some tracks like Snooze (Pinto) and “Cashier Club” are slightly meandering and should’ve been cut from the album overall due to its least powerful performances, mostly caused by the anthemic and compelling tracks that come before them. Surprisingly enough, frontman Jim Bacarro takes a bit of a backseat in leading the album vocal-wise. And another surprise to mention is Johnoy’s Danao “Morning After” performance, calling back to The National’s Matt Berninger due to their brooding vocal tone. Overall, Cheats’ latest offering is a product of the band’s 2-year long wait. It all had the pros of a Cheats song: fuzzed-out guitars ringing in the back, commanding percussion leading the way and most importantly the three vocalists trading every line like it was a sport. And the cons are either the band not slightly surpassing the fervor of the previous albums or the performances that didn’t show any riskier moves or soundscapes. But this was an album or rather a period where everyone took their time to live a little, surviving most of the time. Then you have “Houseplants”, an album that could’ve been released any other time, but instead, it was released at a time where we wanted it the most. Support the art & the artist:
ALBUM REVIEW: Whereistome. – First Edition God Complex
Written by Elijah P. Some music journalists claimed “First Edition God Complex” to be a first glance at a “hyperpop” or deconstructed version of pop in the context of the Philippine music scene. Meanwhile, producer and singer-songwriter Tome. describe themselves vaguely to be “pop”. Maybe as a form of guessing for music writers or listeners just to create this sense of curiosity. And as the ears try not to deceive the listener, their debut album falls under the r&b and glitch pop canon. This album exhibits experimental production and sensual r&b that goes far beyond their usual sonic spectrum. But before anything else, Tome. doesn’t push anything further than aping already innovative production techniques from their influences or constant left turns in the mix that is already done years before. Rather, they advocate something than just mere “copying” – as some naysayers would mention. Tome. does it in ways where their emotive songwriting could expand the worldbuilding in writing in “First Edition God Complex”. After listening to the album in full, the listener can say that this is Tome’s own world and we’re just living in it. The first three tracks of the album, “gravity (intro)”, “ATLAS” and “iridescence”, give us a taste of Tome’s offerings, setting a precedent going forward to the debut album. There are copper snares, metallic-sounding percussion, and heavy synths that pale in contrast to their EPs 2 years ago. Album highlights like “AMOEBA”, “NO!!”, “BAKUNAWA” is designed to be played at an underground club filled with leather and flashing lights. Although not aimless, there are hints that Tome’s still getting there in terms of polishing their own sound. But in terms of the unrelenting “oomph” factor, the album’s production is tighter than most alternative-r&b records that claim to be the “hardest”, and Tome. does it with trial and error. The guests in tracks like “ATLAS” and “4LIFE” have significant misses in guests keeping up to Tome’s stylistic production and pacing. But that doesn’t diminish the quality of Tome’s r&b-accented music displayed in a conceptual hellscape somewhere in the middle of nowhere. This is heaven on earth more than it is a hellish experience lurking in the ears of its listener. Slightly leaning in a more promising direction, “First Edition God Complex” is an impressive feat for a debut album. And it’s not impressive without its big misses in between. You have underwhelming performances; production overshadowing the vocal lines every verse or two; the overall track arrangement isn’t as notable as their previous EPs. But looking at the bigger picture, Tome. can and will break through time and time again. This is a promising artist you folks shouldn’t miss out on and this is just the first edition. SUPPORT THE ART & THE ARTIST:
EP REVIEW: Mei Teves – /’hidn/
Written by Elijah P. Catanduanes is a scenic town, full of vibrant shorelines, tranquil surroundings, and peaceful towns. You have natural talents coming from the small towns and cities, like in Virac – a 76,000+ population where they’ve had a history with several datus and colonized areas, giving the island character besides its idyllic beaches. However, there’s a sense of vibrance provided by their own homegrown talent, Mei Teves. By way of San Juan, Teves brands themselves as a simple school student, waiting for the campus crush to arrive before the bell rings and the human psyche brought by the pressure of their current upbringing. As makata pop takes a step back from the meantime, Teves relishes in the spectacle of storytelling flipping the script by deepening the narrative-driven singing. There’s a sense of wonder when you look closely at Teves’ songwriting, especially when you take a look at their Wishcovery performances, they’ve dug deep below the surface to explore darker themes, establishing themselves as one of the songwriters to look out for post-lockdown. Teves’ debut EP “/’hidn/” capitalizes on that spectacle of storytelling sung in intimate acoustic guitar, except they’re more optimistic, surprisingly lighter than their previous material showcased in Wish 107.5. This is a far cry from the yawps, from the theatricality that is “Sino Ang Baliw” or the cry-for-help intimacy of “Pakialam”. Instead, we got bossa nova influences of “Wala Lang” or the easygoing folk-pop of “Pangalan” and the ecstatic, grandiose “Senpai, Notice Me” – the last track that acted as a bonus track for how alienating it is for their audience to hear Teves’ channel their anime simpery. “/’hidn/” is a light exercise to Teves’ songwriting chops, whether or not they could shy away from the usual, heavier themes that are displayed in the Wish 107.5 performances, but this is the complete opposite of what the others wanted, the EP is a result of an artist playing-it-safe. A Happy Meal in the middle of an apocalypse; The wildcard seemingly giving their 100% but the sonic palette feels lacking; There’s a lightness to the bite that Teves used to bring to the table, especially when the EP drags midway, there’s little to no specialty besides Teves’ impressive voice twirling across the strings. Overall, “/’hidn/” might be Teves’ foray into different adjacent genres or soundscapes they want to travel to, but instead, we got something else entirely and the result was middle on the ground all the way. Nothing special as the EP ends. SUPPORT THE ART & THE ARTIST: