Written by Louis Pelingen If there is one word that may perfectly describe PLAYERTWO’s artistic progression so far, it may have to be the word: flexible. From just a few singles that were put out last year, this 3-member boyband hailing from Davao comprised of Ivo Impreso, Wave P, and Luke April has already presented themselves adaptable and confident in leaning into genre-jumping from one song to another. The indie rock & bedroom pop genre flourish of ‘TALK STRAIGHT’ with a summery hook, compelling flows, and blurry guitar tones connect themselves with impressive results. ‘HDYF’ goes for a swerve, drilling down to Hardcore Hip-hop with rumbling low-ends and chalky beats as the members lean on the imposing side of their lyricism and dribbling flows with enough genuine snarl to make it work. So now, they have followed up with their latest release, ‘THAT’S MY BABY’ with another slight spin in style. A tight, sweeter pop cut where the band leans more on their slick, flirty side this time around. And leaning into it they did, embracing more vocal cooing and smoother flows that honestly owe a lot to the effortless and lightweight charm that a lot of K-pop boybands tend to showcase from time to time. For the band dabbling in this style, they’ve mostly delivered as there’s a lot of charismatic charm expressed from all members, making their flirtatiousness tiptoes more to admiring the woman that they see in the distance to feel more captivating and relaxing. If there is something that does distract from the vibes of the track, it has to be the instrumentation. Melodically, they do sound potent, especially with the grooves allowing the lightweight lovestruck charm to stick. However, the mixing and tone choices do come a little crushed up for the song to work all the way, with the bass sometimes crushing down the distorted guitar and the pristine keys. The texture of the drums comes off as chalky and thin that it sticks out like a sore thumb from the rather relaxed textures of the other instruments and could’ve switched to a different drum texture to compliment the rest of the instrumentation. As a third song showcasing the band’s free-spirited talents, it reaches quality territory. Each member brings out a charm that adds another dimensionality to them as a band and while this song (alongside their other past releases) does show the influences that they’re taking from, they still execute those ideas with good results. For a band where every genre-jumping attempt from each track release comes with pretty good results, their flexibility and compatibility as a band are something to behold. Listen to the artist:
Tag: R&B
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: