“Friends to Lovers” – B.D.U (single)
“Friends to Lovers” is reportedly K-Pop vocal quartet B.D.U’s disbandment song. No explanation has been provided beyond their two-year contract expiring, but fans have noticed their agency ORCA Music’s poor marketing for the group throughout the years. It’s always heartbreaking to see a group disband for seemingly no good reason, especially when their swan song is something this solid.
The lyrics about escaping the friend-zone are perhaps a tad too juvenile, particularly when their leader Bitsaeon is turning 31 in a few months. However, the chirpy melodies and simple-sounding yet intricate electropop production are pretty sophisticated. At least they disbanded on a high note. It’ll be interesting to see what these talented guys will do next (as of writing, all except their youngest member Minseo have joined other groups).
“GAGA” – RAMONA (debut single)
A lot of Filipino women are embracing rock music lately. It’s a wonderful way for them to channel their frustrations, like Maris Racal’s pop-punk “Sino Ang Tanga” (Who’s The Fool) alluding to her highly publicised relationship with actor Anthony Jennings and Ylona Garcia confirming in our interview that her heartfelt new songs are a part of her Marceline the Vampire Queen-inspired rock star journey. Unlike Racal and Garcia, however, Filipino actress Andrea Brillantes has never been much of a vocalist. To say her rollicking pop-punk debut “GAGA” (Stupid Girl) was shocking is an understatement.
Brillantes’ signature whiny “baby voice” works nicely here, despite her lack of singing prowess. A target of widespread slut-shaming and sexual objectification since she was a preteen, the young actress wrote the lyrics herself. As her alter ego RAMONA, she pulls from raw, real, and well-founded anger, perhaps the most punk thing there is. timothy Run and Sam Marquez of the Filipino rock band ONE CLICK STRAIGHT crafted the amazingly gritty instrumentals.
“Sugar talk” – YeoJin (single)
Former LOONA member Yeojin makes her solo debut with three-track EP Lv1. Its lead single, the R&B-pop “Sugar talk,” is lethargic and unmemorable, though inoffensive and listenable. “My Valentine” features a decent bassline but is devoid of interesting vocal melodies. The EP’s best track is “BTW,” a vibrant pop cut that actually gives the South Korean singer some lively, catchy material to work with. Bafflingly, it’s the only track without a video. Let’s hope Yeojin gets stronger songs next time; she’s still at level one, after all.
“UY!” – Project WAN (pre-debut single)
Just like “Barugi” (Stand Up) by Cebuano boy band VLST, Project WAN’s “Uy!” sounds like an average-quality SB19 track. The “uy, naku, huli ka” hook in particular calls SB19’s “Dungka!” to mind, minus the incredible guitar riffs and energy. I’m rooting for these smaller P-Pop groups, but my advice for them is to focus on finding their own sound rather than creating lacklustre imitations of others’. I’m also not a fan of the AI-generated visuals in the lyric video; even the simplest video showing the members singing or dancing would’ve been more enjoyable.
“2000s Pop Punk Rnb” – WHATMORE (single)
WHATMORE’s “2000s Pop Punk Rnb” is… exactly what the title says, a Y2K-inspired blend of pop punk and R&B. The song is pleasant enough, though nothing too memorable. The band’s sweet harmonies in the chorus are the sonic highlight. Its music video starring Avantika (Mean Girls, Tarot) and Sean Kaufman (The Summer I Turned Pretty) is far more interesting. The young Asian-American actors make a charming, good-looking pair in the rom-com film-esque video.
“Get Me” – RAYA (single)
This track’s producers Civ Fontanilla and Theo Martel have done some absolutely excellent work before, but “Get Me” is far from their best. The RAYA members’ vocals are so overprocessed they’re robotic; the main appeal of the original song by MYMP was frontwoman Juris Fernandez’ charming voice. The twee, grating synths also sound like the ones you hear in copyright-free music made for YouTube vlogs. Oh, well… one of these days, RAYA will be given some better songs, I’m sure. In the meantime, RAYA member Jemima Rivera is killing it (literally) as one of the standout actors in Viva’s action-horror series Hell University.
F.I.G – Naomi Scott (debut album)
F.I.G (Fall in Grace) is Naomi Scott’s long-overdue debut album. The Indian-British star sings in a breathy, soft register for most of the record, a fascinating departure from the muscular belts she’s showcased in her hit films (from Lemonade Mouth to Aladdin to Smile 2). F.I.G is primarily a throwback to retro R&B and soul, and a few tracks are pretty derivative, such as lead single “Gracie.” (Janelle Monáe’s “Make Me Feel” had stronger execution of the same musical ideas back in 2018.) Nonetheless, Naomi’s songwriting and musicality shine in F.I.G, an immersive and refined album despite its shortcomings.
