Written by Elijah P.

Cagayan De Oro City’s Svvell are fresh off their comeback performances after a two-year-long pandemic-induced hum. For their latest single “Woozy”, it’s nothing too short of the mid-2010’s leather jacket-produced riffages and borderline accent aping. But that isn’t Svvell’s goal yet. “What’s in it for you and me” the lead singer and guitarist Yoo Han sings as he proceeds to entice the listener with their Brit-pop savvy inflections. There’s more to it than the band’s vocal stylings and “chill” look than meets the eye.

“Woozy” tends to be more swaying and serenading than the usual sonic void of their usual shoegaze influences. The step in this direction is more linear than their past releases, much more robust and sentimental, more consistently arranged than thrown and stuck to the wall and see what sticks. In true classic Brit-pop fashion, the Lilystars Records signees have managed to stick to their roots pre-Clem Clastro rite of passage. “Woozy” is not “oddly” charming, it’s charming to the fullest without ever forcing it to be. Svvell might as well be one of the label’s true up-and-comers, a journey that will carry on not only for Metro Manila listeners but for their cohorts who’ve made amazing noise in CDO as well.

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