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:
Tag: R&B
EP REVIEW: Jolianne – Plain Girl
Written By Noelle Alarcon Hailing from Cebu, pop singer-songwriter Jolianne first gained popularity from being a contestant on the televised singing competition “The Voice Kids,” one of the biggest Philippine shows of the 2010s. That particular decade was plastered with 3D princess movies on screens, smooth yet solemn R&B records from female soloists like Beyoncé and Mariah Carey on the radio. Though that era is long gone, she maintains the whimsy and wonder of growing up in such a time by memorializing its sparkle in her debut release, ‘Plain Girl.’ Jolianne herself brands the EP’s genre as “Disney R&B,” and there couldn’t be a more accurate description for her body of work–her vocals are light, flittering across the soundscape like a cold breeze. The enchanting allure of her voice is the pièce de résistance of the record–she delivers matters of the heart sincerely. The instrumentals help submerge you into her world, may it be through the hypnotizing trance set by the hi-hat that whispers in the background or the soft strumming of the acoustic guitar that paints the atmosphere with utmost confidentiality. ‘Plain Girl’ is one of the records that prove “less is more.” The way the instruments shine a spotlight on her voice, yet never overpower it, plays a major role in making the release sonically cohesive. This craft is mastered in the debut’s standout tunes: its titular track and “I’ll Be Somebody You Want,” which both accurately describe the highs and lows of figuring out young love. With lines like “I never cared you were a star, ‘cause I see you for who you are,” the soloist is honest and straight to the point, vocalizing truths so universal they might as well be the same words you’ve written in your diary. Truly, ‘Plain Girl’ is anything but plain. It tugs at your heartstrings and flashes your childhood right before your very eyes with its candid delicateness. It pays homage without compromising originality and creativity, leveling out its sugary sweetness with the rawness of reality. With this well-balanced, carefully curated introduction to Jolianne’s world, it’s exciting to see where she’ll take us next. SUPPORT THE ART AND THE ARTIST:
ALBUM REVIEW: WAIIAN – BACKSHOTS
Written by Louis Pelingen There’s always this itching frustration that comes with Waiian’s overall projects, as there lingers a big potential for him to put out something striking that, unfortunately, has the habit of casually evading, where as much as he can exude this brand of charisma that’s effortless and easy to listen to, his records never take the next step of breaking out of its comfort zone. Relying upon the relaxed vibes to a fault that the overall solid set of production, writing, and performances only gets to wink out a distinct flair from time to time, most especially coming off of ‘WEYAAT?’ that manages to switch up sonic palettes and can compliment Waiian’s understated sense of wit and flow. His consistent characteristics keep the quality to a high floor, but not exactly a high ceiling. Fortunately, all of that eventually changes with his newest album, BACKSHOTS. Continuing on keeping the record just as brief as his last record, but there is an exceeding amount of surprising shift towards the overall presentation of this ridiculously titled album – bringing out all sorts of looser expressions and larger-than-life beats that allow Waiian to be at his most energetic, humorous, and just having so much fun in his rapping and singing abilities. Now that it is also paired with melodies and instrumentation that has so much light, yet bouncy flair, it only adds so much for these brisk songs to just flex with memorable moments, like the buzzy synths and pumping baile funk style beat on “MALAKING BIRD” which elevates Waiian’s prideful delivery even further, the soft synth chords amidst nimble bass grooves of “MAN IN THE MIRROR”, the lighter acoustics that twiddles around Waiian’s softer singing on “LOSE MY NUMBER”, the lowkey groove that gives Waiian and Nicole Anjela’s vocal chemistry to brush up well on “SOFTIE”, the whirring bass and sharper drums of “MOTIVATIONAL QUOTES”, the playful synths and drums that add to Waiian’s overblown attitude and ridiculous ad-libs on “ASAN NA SI…”, and the buoyant melodic chops and bubbly grooves of “SI LODS NA BAHALA” that overshadows just how quaintly mixed the guitar riffs sound. What’s also worth noting is just how Waiian’s overall writing bumps up considerably now that he has allowed his energy to be more carefree and bright, yet never exactly sacrificing the wit and humor that has been bubbling in a lot of his lyricism in his past records, just now amplified in clear-cut measure. This eventually reveals more depth to his bars, where he can utilize that earnestly goofy side to indeed make so much laughter with every one-liner he drops, but also emphasize the softness that men tend to shun in their lives – which tends to bring more harm to them than good – as well as critique said men for relying so much on their ego and swagger in the rap scene that doesn’t exactly come off as genuine, more so alienate themselves from connecting with people around them and stray away to making a stable career path that doesn’t have to rely upon riding their rap dreams. It’s the kind of insight that does come honestly from Waiian himself, where his self-awareness of being an artist also bleeds through his persona, unveiling more of his tender emotions as a result. With a tightly knit construction, a loosely snickering attitude, and hard bustling melodies, it’s without a doubt that Waiian finally manages to hit a grand slam with BACKSHOTS. Ripping open the laid-back persona he tends to chew upon and just letting his well-considered humorous wit be even more emphasized, all accompanied by his most refreshing production and beats to date. After swinging with various hits and misses in the past, this big bird has finally hit the sweet spot. 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: 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:
ALBUM REVIEW: SOS – It Was A Moment
Written by Gabriel Bagahansol Starting off your band’s much-awaited sophomore album with lines like “I wrote some lyrics but it’s ten years later / I’m always worried that I’m past my prime” is a ballsy move when it’s been eight years since your first. Even more so when you’ve added these lines to a song you’ve been playing for more than a decade. A close up of the artwork for 2017’s Whatever That Was flickers on an old TV in a sunlit living room, as though that period in the band’s career were glory days they can only reminisce about. You could be forgiven for thinking SOS is staging a farewell, but this is the façade of nostalgia and reflection they have formed over their brand new album It Was A Moment, and that includes the opening track “Amore”, which finally saw completion after being a long-beloved live number by fans of the band. One listen and you can see why people have been clamoring for this for years: an energetic jangle bounces off from everyone in the band, amping things up with a rousing chorus that just makes you want to dance. All of that is very much intact here in the definitive version of “Amore,” except the uptight, aggressive iteration once heard at Route 196 and beyond is nowhere to be seen. Roberto Seña, along with fellow guitarist Andrew Panopio, has seemingly traded his fuzzbox for cleaner tones, has given the song a carefree environment to live in, and not only did the two of them make space for an acoustic guitar, apparently, there’s a synthesizer now? Outside of its nostalgia-tinged cover art, there’s hardly a trace of the band’s distant past in It Was A Moment. For the last eight years, many things have happened within the SOS camp. They did side projects outside the realm of rock n’ roll. They opened a recording studio above the sandy shores of Elyu. They even signed a brand new record deal, on James Reid’s Careless Music label, of all places. Somewhere in the middle of it all, after more than a decade of playing the same old song, they finally decided to fuck with the formula. 2020’s The Other Side saw SOS dabble with disco beats, synth layers, and a softer approach to their music. While a cynic can dismiss the EP as a mere experiment at a time where their guitar-based alt-rock would’ve felt out of place, it was otherwise a necessary shakeup in their musical palette. And now, with the addition of keyboardist Ram Alonzo into the lineup, SOS has turned the cozy, colorful landscape of The Other Side from a brief excursion to the first phase of an artistic evolution. You can hear them take the next few steps into this path on songs like “Roses”, a respectable synthwave track about trying not to ruin a new love affair, and “I’m Kidding,” an anthemic exercise in irony with a sing-along chorus about bottling yourself up and never saying what you really feel. After these two songs is the pensive elegy to lost youth that is “It’s History”, which also affirms you, the listener, that in spite of your failures, all of that is in the past and that you’re more than just your shortcomings. While these three songs showcase Seña’s eloquent way with words and imagery, musically, something is amiss. Despite superb performances by the band, held together by Anjo Silvoza’s melodic bass lines and drummer King Puentespina’s steady but dynamic drumming, these are moments in which SOS seem like they aren’t willing to change up their sound much. They feel more like a compromise between slightly less jagged guitars and marginally pop keys, ultimately stalling the record after the shot of adrenaline that is “Amore”. Where SOS really shines in this record is when they fully commit to challenging their artistic identity. A hi-hat-heavy drum machine and a floaty synth line welcome listeners to the smooth R&B number “French Exit”. Seña sounds so seductive and self-assured as he sings about a casual love affair and how he’ll leave a lover before they even know it, a far cry from the jittery expressions of 2017’s “Favoritism”. Meanwhile, on “Money,” a rigid but groovy electro-funk beat coexists with frustrations toward someone else’s attitude towards money, especially when Seña talks about the frustrations of being a musician in today’s economy. While the song is sullied a bit by his overzealous vocals, it offers an otherwise noteworthy insight on being a struggling artist today. These two songs highlight SOS’ potential in holding their own across other genres, reaping the rewards of their expeditions outside the band’s walls. The back half of It Was A Moment, then, is further proof of how far SOS can break the lyrical and sonic barriers that have been placed against them. For one, “Please Lang” and “Seryoso,” the band’s first Filipino songs, show Seña successfully making his ramblings shine in our own language, his acerbic tongue more potent than ever as the Taglish words help him convey the strongest emotions in the simplest of words. Meanwhile, the remaining three songs give us a vision of what a fully-electronic SOS could sound like. Two of these, “Yumi & The Apocalypse” and “Love Kept Us Warm,” show two sides of a doomed relationship: wistful hopelessness faces off against cautious optimism in an atmosphere of sparkling keys, unrelenting drum patterns, irresistible chord progressions, and even a fadeout that’s delightfully-’80s. The title track that closes the album sees the band complete their transformation from guitar heroes to electro-pop stars through a moody number on the end of a relationship that should’ve been taken seriously. Regret permeates the song’s sparse instrumentation that recreates the lightheaded feeling of being alone with one too many drinks, the bridge even introducing chopped-up vocal samples straight out of mid-2010s Tumblr. However, it feels as though there’s more to this than meets the eye, with all the talk about phases and the references
TRACK REVIEW: sumther – forget
Written by Elijah P. sumther’s latest track “forget” sounds like the best kind of house party—the one that spills from a cramped Tomas Morato club into school hallways and basketball courts, chasing sunrise with reckless abandon. Known for his intimate plugg experiments, the artist sheds his bedroom producer skin here, embracing a bigger, brasher sound that crackles with the energy of someone discovering their voice at just the right moment. Where his earlier Soundcloud loosies reveled in microgenre nuances, “forget” plays like a manifesto. sumther was trading pluggnb’s melancholy for a swaggering, synth-drenched anthem about moving on (but only after one last dance). The genius lies in its duality: it’s a breakup song disguised as a party starter, with lyrics that sting even as the 808s and the piano lines dare you not to move. The production expands his world beyond sub-bass corners. Snares and synths ricochet like sneakers on gym floors, melodies shimmer like spilled vodka under strobe lights, and sumther’s delivery—part-sung, part-rapped—carries the giddy exhaustion of someone who’s stayed up too late feeling everything at once. It’s a coming-of-age moment bottled in two-and-a-half minutes: proof that his knack for earworm hooks (that chorus lingers like next-day confetti in your hair) could propel him from niche favorite to undeniable mainstay. If this is sumther unchained, imagine what’s next. SUPPORT THE ART AND THE ARTIST:
TRACK REVIEW: Zack Tabudlo – Diving
Written by Gabriel Bagahansol For a while, it seemed as though Zack Tabudlo’s stardom would go on forever. His style of charming pop and R&B tracks dominated the airwaves as the nation shifted back to normalcy from the pandemic, an imperial phase helped by the fact that he would constantly put music out, dropping a new single or album every few months. Lately, though, he couldn’t seem to land a hit song as easily as he used to. His star has been slowing down, and so has his output: he only released four singles last year. But after keeping a relatively low profile for the last few months, Zack is back, and upon brokering a deal with an American record label, it looks as though he’s taking a shot at a big comeback. And just like how it was a couple of years back, he didn’t waste any time. He’s got a new song out. Some might think that Diving sounds just like any other R&B track you can find at one of many chill playlists at your local streaming platform, but this does have enough of that Zack Tabudlo magic that they should probably pay attention to this one. Here, that magic is at its best; you got everything you’ve come to expect from his music, from his vocal melodies and the guitar lines that complement it to his soulful vocal range that goes all the way to an enchanting falsetto (which only shows up once in this song), to his lyrical mastery with the subject of love, which in this case is the tried-and-true topic of obsessive frustration over someone who’s love may not be true at all. It all comes together to form that kind of pop music realism that’ll make you believe this guy is riddled with jealousy and heartbreak and couldn’t snap out of it. As far as heart-rending songs of woefully unrequited love go, this hits all the right spots. While Diving may find itself lost in the shuffle of newer, shinier releases, it has, at least, enough defining qualities to make for a unique listening experience should it find its way to you. Play this a bunch of times and you’ll be reminded of just how good Zack Tabudlo’s music was when you had his music on a loop a few years ago, or caught it at a mall or the radio or TikTok. Will this song immediately help him set the world on fire again? Probably not. But it’s intriguing enough that once it gets pushed to a streaming service playlist in America, someone out there could hear and enjoy it to the point where they’ll soon find themselves diving into a whole world of music they’ve been missing out on. SUPPORT THE ART & THE ARTIST:
TRACK REVIEW: Fresh-iLL Club – INYAFACE
Written by Gabriel Bagahansol At last, P-Pop is huge. Ever since the genre’s explosion in popularity last year, more and more people are now finally noticing the pop groups that have been honing their craft as trainees in the entertainment industry over the last few years. But amidst the highly engineered careers of today’s Filipino boybands, there is still room for boybands of a different kind: one informed by a commitment to make art on their own terms. Fresh-iLL Club is one of these kinds of acts: the hip-hop collective with the mentality of a bonafide unit. Groups like them have the ability to mix their brash attitude, street cred, and blaring beats with the inviting excitement of pop and R&B, and after giving a taste of their sound with a bunch of singles throughout 2024, they close out the year with “INYAFACE” – a track that really sums up what they have to offer now and in the future. On “INYAFACE”, you hear everything you’d come to expect from a hip-hop group with boyband ambitions: cool, braggadocious verses, with some passionate singing for the bridge, delivered to you in smooth, dynamic flows over a siren-beat that never relents. Though in this case, the latter comes off just a little bit tame. Its ferocity is slightly diminished by a mix that dulls the song with a dollop of bass in the wrong place. However, everything else about the beat works. It allows Fresh-iLL Club to be laid back in their delivery, only going full-throttle when they need to. In the middle of the track, members Sebastian Kidd and D.Vaughn spit rapid-fire lines on just how far the group has come to this point, how dedicated they are to their craft, and how the group will become, in Vaughn’s words, “the face of hip-hop.” It’s the perfect segue to a stunning bridge where Vic Olive reanimates prime Bearface (in the grand tradition of hip-hop boybands channeling their inner BROCKHAMPTON) to brag about the collective aura all seven of them have as FC. It’s clear that Fresh-iLL Club wants to take over the scene. Like with every other future superstar, their ambitions come alive in this track, urgency weaving across the music and the words. You must pay attention. While parts of the track indicate their journey to the top is still ongoing, especially when they’re treading the ground their predecessors ran, the future is nevertheless bright for these boys, who may just stand a chance as they go into the new year. They just need to keep reaching their potential until, one day, FC will be on all y’all’s faces. Support the art & the artist:
ALBUM REVIEW: Yorko – where the sky meets the sea
Written by Faye Allego Yorko’s virtuosic talent for Hip Hop and R&B shines in “Where The Sky Meets The Sea” as he opens up without fear of getting introspective in his songs; songs that took four years to make it into the final cut and four years to mark his first entry under LIAB studios. The rollout of this album in terms of aesthetics was done in a way that genuinely highlights the ebb and flow of Yorko’s vulnerability: his journal entries published across his social media pages, the scenic imagery only paired with the color hues of the sky, and the impeccable album artwork and layout done by GRAVER, Zeon Gomez, @aleng_lukresya, jadetonicc, @_niel4tienz4, and @skm2_ct have all sculpted and mended Yorko’s visions into a short anthology of memories written from the depths of Cloud 9. In his sophomore album, Yorko, who also goes under the alias Blimp Shady, takes the listener down a rather silky road with his sleek rhymes and rhythms in “Descent” followed by “Nimbus” and “Surf” which encapsulate certain Cyber R&B beats you’d expect to hear in a Blade Runner 2049 action sequence or in a niche Vaporwave Lofi Rap mixtape. In Horizon, Yorko reflects on the imbalances and harmony of life: ‘there’s more to life above the clouds/ there’s more to death beneath the ground/ take a dive headfirst/take the pain, feel the hurt/ ‘til you feel nothing no more’ these antheses with philosophical undertones become profound as Yorko takes what feels like a modern day Parable-of-Job-like approach to his storytelling. Juxtapositions that seep through the philosophical themes of the album are also emulsified in the pre/post break-up banger that is m.i.a. featuring SHNTI. Production-wise, Kashira changes the game for the DIY rap scene. You can press play throughout any time frame of this album and won’t find yourself fidgeting with the volume buttons of your device. Various influences and sonic textures from the West Coast Rap scene can definitely be heard in Where The Sun Meets the Sky, making it a flavorful homage to the entire genre itself and it’s not taking from the original and replicating it haphazardly. However, though the originality shines through, there is an inkling of that replication hazard getting in the way when you get to tracks like Ducktales, which utilises synth waves and ad libs that don’t add on to that theme of introspection and aren’t exactly elusive to hear within this genre. Overall, this album is essentially a deep-dive into Yorko’s inner sea of confusion and takes the listener for a swim back to the shore, shining under the sun with all the glistening hopes that come out of surpassing hardship all with the dreamy atmosphere engineered into the beat. Support the art and the artist: