COMPILED AND WRITTEN BY IAN URRUTIA
EDITING AND LAYOUT DESIGN BY MC GALANG
As the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread on a massive global scale, the entire music industry grinds to a halt and faces billions of dollars in income loss. It has led to widespread layoffs, cancelled tours and concerts, postponed music releases, and closure of music venues and stores—a scenario that caught the music ecosystem and the people who depend on it by surprise, unprepared for an unprecedented global health crisis.
Given the magnitude of devastation and the frustrating uncertainty brought about by COVID-19, several artists, record labels, and music management companies in the Philippines have adjusted their release schedules and postponed various forms of promotional strategies. For others, it’s the time to uplift the community’s spirit, release new and timely music recordings that reflect our social realities, and maybe, keep the listening public accompanied through solace, anxiety, and much-needed escapist entertainment.
We compiled a long list of upcoming Filipino albums and EPs this year and in early 2021. Use it as a guide where fans can track and cross out releases in the coming weeks and months. We will regularly update it with confirmed release dates and/or titles, as well as additional upcoming albums and EPs, as they become available.
The list contains many future releases that we heartily endorse with conviction, while some are surefire blockbusters that might surprise us by chance. (Editor’s note: Artists’ responses are edited for clarity.)
In alphabetical order:
AHJU$$I
- Album: Truth Has an Expiration Date (BuwanBuwan Collective)
- Genre: Electronic, Budots, PC Music
- Tentative Date of Release: 4th quarter, 2020
“Truth Has an Expiration Date is an EP that recycles and collages sound. It is meant to show the listener that sound is just as fickle as truth; our perception of music is constantly changing and if we cling to the sounds of the past then we will be left behind.
At the moment, I have one track with vocals from Philadelphia-based artist Evanhigginsok. I have yet to look for someone to work on the EP cover with me but rest assured it will be sick!
The release is a plunderphonics album, so expect a lot of samples pulled from many different places. I’m experimenting also with a lot of different genres such as ballroom, budots, and PC so it’s going to be quirky, fun, and very energetic.” (Luis Montales, AHJU$$I)
AMSS
- Album: TBD (Eclectic Kiss)
- Genre: Indie / Pop
- Tentative Date of Release: TBA 2020
“Although the plan for the four-song EP is already in the works and all the material is pretty much recorded, our unfortunate situation with the quarantine has put much of our plans for absolute completion on hold.
AMSS’s upcoming new release is a darker/brooding approach to pop music. Very vocal heavy with an almost classical feel in the musical arrangements.” (Nick Lazaro, CEO/producer of Eclectic Kiss)
Annalogue
- Album: All Is Said And Done (Melt Records)
- Genre: Indie
- Tentative Date of Release: June 2020
“The EP is a collection of songs that we wrote over the years since we started playing as a group. The songwriting process was neither forced nor fitted into a particular concept, simply because we didn’t want to limit ourselves as to what kind of music we would be able to produce. We gave each member the liberty to play something that is within their range and make it work as a whole. All Is Said And Done is our way of saying this chapter or phase in our life in writing and recording these songs is finished. And so we move and look forward to what else is out there for us—and by that, we mean releasing this thing and playing more shows.
Through the times that we have had changes in lineup, it brought us closer to what our music has evolved into today. With one member leaving and another coming in, the way each song is played is similar but never the same. But there’s always a trace of the previous player that will forever grace the music. Apart from the current members, Pancho Trinidad (The Common Cassette) and Bam Roa (Almost Satellite), our former guitar player and drummer, respectively, have greatly contributed to the writing and structure of our songs. We also worked with Bam in his studio at Bammerstudio and Francis Ramos (KRNA, Kinsa Recordings) to record, co-produce, and mix and master the EP.
Expect a variety of tunes to blast through your earholes. Expect ’90s and early 2k influences. Expect pop. Expect rock. Expect things in between. And that maybe there’s something for everyone.” (Annalogue)
Area25
- Album: Everything That Went Wrong (Locked Down Entertainment)
- Genre: Indie / Electronic pop
- Tentative Date of Release: TBD 2020
“It was originally slated to come out next month along with a music video but the implementation of the quarantine, lockdown, and all the crazy things happening everywhere made us pause. We still don’t have a clear date but as soon as the country overcomes our current health crisis, we’ll reconvene.
In totality, the songs are about unexpected things in life. How things can go wrong and how good can come from a series of mishaps and struggles.
Fran Lorenzo (The Ringmaster) is responsible for making the EP sound the way it does. We all love his solo work and have a good relationship with him so collaboration-wise, it made sense for us to get him to work his magic on the songs we presented, even though his solo stuff couldn’t be further from the way our material sounded. In addition to that, Nick Lazaro helped direct some of the vocal arrangements and we commissioned artist Labyu Majora to do the art.” (April Hernandez, Area25)
Art of Bodybending
- Album:Fairy-ing the Lost Boys (Independent)
- Genre:Avant-garde Pop / Jazz / Funk / Neo-Soul
- Tentative Date of Release: April 2020
“It’s called Fairy-ing the Lost Boys because I realized that, all this time, I thought I was the protagonist of the love story that was happening in my life, but that was just an illusion. The truth was, ako lang ‘yung taga-hatid ng mga lalaking ‘yun. The role that I played in my story was the ferry in a river of death, which people only get on to be where they needed to go. [Or] like a Grab driver, braving the journey through hell, este EDSA, to bring some lucky guy to their destination in life, while they leave you stuck in your position without a single thought.” (Art of Bodybending)
Barbie Almalbis
- Album: TBD (12 Stone Records)
- Genre: Alternative / Pop-rock
- Tentative Date of Release: May/June 2020
“The new album is still untitled! We’re currently recording the last song, and all the others have been mixed and are ready to go. [We’re] hoping to release in May or June.
The nine-track album will include four new songs, as well as three from Tigre (EP) and two of our recent singles, “Comment” and “Iyong-Iyo.” Five of the songs were co-written by my husband, Martin, and my friend Michelle co-wrote “Cover” as a surprise for her husband Nikko, our keyboardist.
After the songs were written, we arranged and recorded them as a band. The band is Karel Honasan on bass, Jonard Bolor on drums, and Nikko Rivera on keyboard. Rommel dela Cruz also played bass on two songs. Martin and my sister-in-law, Kuki Ulpindo did the cover art for the EP and singles.
The album was done in three parts: first at Tower of Doom Studio with Kyle Cayton, then Yellow Room Studio with Magic Montano, and part three is currently happening at my home studio.
I’m very excited about this release. It’s our first album as a four-piece band, and I’m quite happy with how we paced ourselves on this album. Just making a third of it every few months gave us time to write, get refreshed and not feel burned out, and also enabled us to balance our time with family and other things.” (Barbie Almalbis)
Because
- Album: Heartbreak SZN 2 (Viva Records)
- Genre: R&B / Hip-hop
- Tentative Date of Release: TBA 2020
“I’ve experienced breakup last December 2019 which fans have witnessed too. Along came other hardships which led me to a more personal and emotional lyrics for this new album.
So far, the album contains collaborations with Skusta Clee, John Roa, Yuri Dope, and other more artists. This one’s a sequel of my debut album, which sounds like a dark, melodic, and melancholic take on Pinoy R&B.” (Because)
brittleglasscasket
- Album: brittleglasscasket (Genjitsu Stargazing Society)
- Genre: Hardcore / Punk
- Tentative Date of Release: April 2020
“Our debut full-length album will finally see a physical release on cassette this year, hopefully by April depending on the state of the world. It’s going to be a deluxe edition, with the entire album on one side, and a Basement 63 live session on the other.
The album is dedicated to our friends, families, lovers, and those who have peeved and pissed us off; it’s dedicated to those we have fought so hard for, to those who have tried their best but still weren’t good enough; and to those who’ve whispered themselves to sleep.” (brittleglasscasket)
Calix
- Album: Batibat (Independent)
- Genre: Hip-hop / Rap
- Tentative Date of Release: 4th quarter 2020 / 1st quarter 2021
“A nightmare spanning 10 nights. Production-wise, it’s a little bit broader this time.” (Calix)
Cheats
- Album: TBD (Offshore Music)
- Genre: Indie rock
- Tentative Date of Release: TBA, 2020
“No title yet, but it’s the extension of our EP that we made last year called Ultramilk. We were planning to release it in June before the quarantine happened. Now, we don’t know ’cause unlike the previous releases which we did at home, we wanted to record in a studio. We were scheduled to record a day before the quarantine happened. We just came from a weekend where we brought all our gear to the house and wrote and produced the songs—[it’s the] first time we’ve done that as a band.
We just wanted the experience for this to be like the first album where everyone was involved from songwriting, arranging and actual recording. We spent two days finishing up eight songs and we’ve been playing them live, actually. It will be produced by us. Super excited for it ’cause so many things have happened to the band.
In our personal lives, I feel like this is the best record we’ve made. Basically, we’re making a new EP remotely while in quarantine.” (Jim Bacarro, vocalist/guitarist of Cheats)
Cinema Lumiere
- Album: Catch Me I’m Falling (Furiosa)
- Genre: Shoegaze / Dream pop
- Tentative Date of Release: Last quarter, 2020
“The EP is a collection of songs written by our frontman/founder, Xavier Emas who migrated to Canada. There’s no lyrical concept whatsoever. We just rushed to record all Xavier’s parts (vocals and guitars) before he left the country. Afterwards we decided to release an EP.
Tan Evangelista of The Strange Creatures then became our lead guitarist when Xavier left. He’ll be recording additional guitars for some of the songs. RJ Mabilin of Redverb Studio is our producer and sound engineer for the EP.
We’re huge fans of Sarah Records artists, so expect a happy-sad EP from us.” (Jon Tamayo, Cinema Lumiere)
Escuri
- Album: Wander Studio (BuwanBuwan Collective)
- Genre: Electronic / Experimental
- Tentative Date of Release: April 2020
“Wander Studio is a mobile studio that is placed in unconventional environments such as bookstores, community plazas, docks, temples, etc. Here, I collaborated with the locals of Koganecho, and explored how these different places and situations affected my musical output.
I gathered sonic materials from the environment and collaborated with the community of Koganecho, Yokohama.
This release will feature eight musical and non-tonal compositions inspired by the stories of the community of Koganecho, as well as my experiences in Yokohama. Expect to hear a confluence of rhythm, melodies, and field recordings that will surely transport you to a different place.” (Escuri)
Flu
- Album: Sun Dry (Funky Records)
- Genre: Soul / Funk / Indie
- Tentative Date of Release: TBD 2020
“We each have favorite songs that we jam to, pretending to be the real musicians that recorded it. In that way, we immerse ourselves to absorb the feeling and story beyond just playing it. It helps a lot with our band’s songwriting because we get to throw in whatever we’ve picked up from our favorite tracks until it becomes its own story. Our debut album will be like time-traveling to our favorite eras and paying tribute to our personal legends.
JR Jabla (bird.) was our recording engineer, and we did all the tracks at his studio, This Is Where I Make Music. Emil dela Rosa (Unique) helped us mix and master all the tracks. Katrice Reyes (Morobe, Banna Harbera) played all of our keyboard parts apart from one track which Ena Mori did keys for. We had Royce Baronia (Dayaw) play all the percussions and lastly, backing vocals by the Sab Hernandez and Raine Nuguid (Danidea), and Renier Guisadio. Dream team!
I think it’s safe to say that you can expect tunes that sound close to the energy and spirit of our singles, with a few surprises that feel familiar yet completely different.” (Flu)
Gnarrate
- Album: Generating Noble Astute Revolutionary Rhymes Against The Establishment (Independent)
- Genre: Hip-hop
- Tentative Date of Release: Last quarter, 2020
“I just wrote about what’s happening around that makes it hard to sleep at times. The songs go against established constructs that some see as normal, but are actually hindrances to our daily lives: misogyny, messianism, private property, toxic masculinity, inner peace, power, and authority. Those are just some of the ones we get to deal with. My plan is to have future projects with the same EP title, a la Run The Jewels. Tatz Maven, Mocksmile, and Gab Perez produced the music; and on one track, I’ll be collaborating with Nikki.” (David Villania III, Gnarrate)
Grrl Cloud
- Album: TBD (Genjitsu Stargazing Society)
- Genre: Indie / Pop
- Tentative Date of Release: TBA 2020
“This one is actually still in very rough planning stages! But the release is this year, according to Tamia Reodica.” (Kurvine Chua, CEO of Genjitsu Stargazing Society)
Iñigo
- Album: Options (Star Music / Tarsier Records)
- Genre: Pop
- Tentative Date of Release: 3rd quarter, 2020
“In early 2019, Iñigo made the biggest move of his career yet: crossing over to the global stage. Options LP is Inigo’s upcoming solo album with international production, promotions, and performances. Starting off with a top-billed team for his album, including LA-based producer and multi-instrumentalist, Bernard “HARV” Harvey and Felisha “Fury” King, who wrote a couple of songs for the FOX TV show, Empire.
Collaborations with other US-based creators such as LA- based underground producer, Nick Pacoli (producer for Moira & Nieman’s Knots EP released in 2018 and Kiana’s [Valenciano] “Hide My Love” released in 2019), and five-time platinum songwriter Jeordi LaForge. Iñigo also enlists the sonic guidance of Manila-based producer Moophs for three of his tracks in the whole album, including “Catching Feelings,” his 2nd hit after “Dahi Sa’yo,” which he remarkably premiered the music video at his NBA halftime show at Staples Center in November 2019.
This year, the bigger picture of this project is expected to unfold piece by piece, as Iñigo continues to release singles, gradually painting the picture of a young man’s world of endless options.” (Ericka Jusayan, Promo Specialist for Tarsier Records)
Irrevocable
- Album: TBD (Independent)
- Genre: Indie / Emo / Math rock
- Tentative Date of Release: TBA 2020
“Right now [we have] new songs that’s ready to be recorded. We’re still rehearsing them as much as we can so we can build the muscle memory for these songs. That’s what we usually do before going into the studio.
We’re planning a five-track EP. There’s currently no working title. We want to record and release it this year but due to current events, that’s starting to seem unlikely. Hopefully if not late this year, then we can put it out probably early 2021.”
The songs for this release have a more somber tone compared to our first record. It’s sort of like a continuation of Where Is Home?—just slightly sadder and a bit more aggressive. We have no plans to include outside collaborators at the moment.” (Tani Cariño, Irrevocable)
Jayda
- Album: TBD (Star Music)
- Genre: Pop
- Tentative Date of Release: 4th quarter, 2020
“Jayda is one of the youngest and most promising singers-songwriters locally, and has the makings of Gen Z’s defining voice. The newest Star Music talent co-wrote all her songs with international producers, so expect freshness and originality from her upcoming release.
Collaborators and producers for her next album include: DJ Flict, a Grammy-nominated producer whose credentials include producing for Maegan Trainor and Fifth Harmony. He’s also worked with Mariah Carey, Diane Warren, and Lauryn Hill.
Luigie LUGO Gonzalez is also part of the production team. He’s a multi-platinum Grammy-nominated record producer for many Latin crossover artists. He’s worked with superstars ranging from Madonna, Ricky Martin, to J. Balvin.” (Jonathan Manalo, Creative Director/Executive Producer of ABS-CBN Music)
JONA
- Album: TBD (Star Music)
- Genre: R&B / Pop
- Tentative Date of Release: 4th quarter 2020
“JONA has long been under the radar until she finally opened up to the local music audience and spread her wings. Her voice is also her number one asset. [She’s] a very consistent vocalist in studio and in concerts.
There’s a side of JONA that hasn’t been tapped yet: her urban, R&B sensual side that we will all see and experience in this upcoming release. [It’s] refreshing and surprising, but she will definitely pull it off.” (Jonathan Manalo, Creative Director/Executive Producer of ABS-CBN Music)
JP Hill
- Album: The Whisper And The Shout (BuwanBuwan Collective)
- Genre: Electronic
- Tentative Date of Release: 4th quarter, 2020
“No particular story on this album but if I could describe the sound — It’s hopeful, comforting and chaotic. Collaborators include BABYBLUE, similarobjects, Paola Mauricio, Mariamaria, and more.
I’m also collaborating with Rob Cham and Gilbert Redoña/Helium3 for the art of the album. The upcoming release will heavily depend on the art direction.” (JP Hill)
Juicebox (JCBX)
- Album: Drive (Locked Down Entertainment)
- Genre: Indie rock / Alternative
- Tentative Date of Release: April 17, 2020
“It’s not much of a story, but when we wrote these songs, we just want to introduce our sound to the scene. We also had this idea that we want this EP to be something you’ll listen to while driving on road trips or at night.
Basically we produced all the songs in this EP. But some specific people that helped us through the process are Cholo Hermosa, who engineered and co-produced four tracks from the EP; Shinji Tanaka, who’s our recording engineer for one track; Rayms Marasigan for guiding and helping us on one song; Kyle Quismundo, who engineered and did the mix and mastering for one track; and of course, Jigger Divina, our manager who’s been with us and supporting us since the beginning of this project.
We went with a guitar-heavy approach in this EP and expect every song to have a unique and different vibe to it. We can’t wait to share this with everyone.” (Juicebox)
Kartel
- Album: Kontrapunto (Uprising Records Philippines)
- Genre: Hip-hop / Rap
- Tentative Date of Release: May 2020
“Seasoned veterans and known mananagalogs of the scene, Tala and Ilaya continue to push the limits of the Tagalog language in sharing their views on society, politics, as well as self-reflection. The upcoming album to be released under Uprising Records Philippines is two years in the making.
What to expect from the album: vivid storytelling, varied soundscapes, rich usage of Tagalog, and a few unpopular opinions.” (Alaric Yuson, CEO of Uprising Records Philippines)
Read our review of Kartel’s “Pera Pera” (prod. by Arbie Won)
Kiana V
- Album: TBD (Tarsier Records)
- Genre: R&B / Pop / Electronic
- Tentative Date of Release: TBA 2020
“Kiana came back from her debut album with the first single, neo-soul bop “Hide My Love” in December of the same year, which earned her the cover and top spot on Spotify’s New Music Friday Philippines, as well as placements on 21 other New Music Friday mixes globally, plus a host of other editorial playlists. Added to that is its continuous heavy rotation on some of biggest high-end radio stations in Metro Manila. This warms the grounds for a bigger 2020: her first deliberate attempt to cross over the global R&B scene. Kiana’s sound evolves with every album, and her next step is nothing short of a quantum leap.
To kick off her international campaign, she has released “No Rush” featuring the sonic guide of Fil-Aussie producer and R&B/hip-hop artist, Billy Davis. The serene start leading to a slick bass line showcases Kiana’s new decade sound, and has been received well by editors both on Spotify where it placed on New Music Friday playlists all over the region and a handy number of personalized editorial playlists, as well as Apple Music with a full-on homepage takeover and inclusion in some of the most coveted international playlists, and a spotlight feature to top that off—allowing Kiana to gain a wider audience in cities she never thought her sound could reach, with mega music markets U.S. and China being her top countries besides her home country of the Philippines.” (Ericka Jusayan, Promo Specialist of Tarsier Records)
Kubra Commander
- Album: Rhythm Tourists (Melt Records)
- Genre: Garage rock / Indie rock
- Tentative Date of Release: 60 days from when the COVID-19 crisis ends
“I wanted to make a follow-up to the first album, this time with a more collaborative approach and a slow transition into a band dynamic as opposed to a pure solo project setup.
I’ve been working closely with long-time collaborator Jeremy Rigodon, as he is also the sound engineer and co-producer for the album. This time my bandmates are contributing to the recording process as well, (Jah Acab on bass, Lynel Sucalit on synths, Joko Nozawa on guitars, and Lomel Popera on drums). Other artists who’ll be collaborating with me on the album include Cebu-based rapper Saad Rhy, Mic Pacalioga of Loop, Debb Acebu of Honeydrop and Ang Bandang Shirley, and Jud Sala of Honeydrop.
[It’s] perhaps a more cohesive album in terms of creative direction—indie rock and roll with hints of psych.” (J Martino Olvido, vocalist/guitarist of Kubra Commander)
KZ Tandingan
- Album: KZ (Star Music)
- Genre: R&B/Soul
- Tentative Date of Release: 3rd quarter, 2020
“From her local success up to the competence she showed at the I Am a Singer competition in China, battling and winning over the likes of Jessie J., KZ is ready to conquer the world.
Her collaborators and producers include the following: Luigie LUGO Gonzalez, a multi-platinum Grammy-nominated record producer for many Latin crossover artists. He’s worked from Madonna, Ricky Martin, to J. Balvin. He also engineers for producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis for artists such as Janet Jackson. She also worked with DJ Flict, a Grammy-nominated producer for Maegan Trainor, Fifth Harmony, and he also worked with Mariah Carey, Diane Warren, and Lauryn Hill. Moophs and Jonathan Manalo are also part of the pool of producers/collaborators.
As for future plans, we’re looking at a big promo trek across North America to Europe. KZ has just started building the buzz by being the first Filipina artist to ever perform an original Tagalog track live on BBC radio.” (Jonathan Manalo, Creative Director/Executive Producer of ABS-CBN Music)
Leila Alcasid
- Album: Better Weather (Tarsier Records)
- Genre: Pop / R&B / Electronic
- Tentative Date of Release: TBD
“I wrote all the tracks for Better Weather during a very significant growth period in my life. I was fresh out of a difficult time: many lows, a few highs. The few highs I experienced during that time gave me the inspiration for the message I wanted to convey throughout the EP: a focus on seasons. I was transitioning between two different seasons in my life, and wanted to capture exactly what I was feeling.
At the center of all these feelings was (and is), love. Each track focuses on a different aspect of love, whether it be romantic or self-love. Since the EP is based on growth, I wanted the sound to be distinct from my old sound, whilst maintaining some remnants to indicate where I’d come from. I wanted it to be more mature, smoother, refined. I made sure that each track was lyrically and sonically connected, whilst distinct from each other. I created a weather/nature motif that I wanted to be present throughout each of the songs and their titles. Overall, the project for me is all-encompassing of love, growth, and the deep connection it has with the idea that we have no control over our everyday paths; only the choices we make throughout.” (Leila Alcasid)
Like Animals
- Album: Spirits of the Land (BuwanBuwan Collective)
- Genre: Experimental / Electronic
- Tentative Date of Release: May 2020
“Last year, I was going through a lot of stress and my mental health took a turn for the worst. I decided to move away to a different part of the country and spent most of my time alone there. I was surrounded by nature and there was always this invisible force I could feel all around me that inspired me to make the EP. I finished the tracks just as I was preparing to fly home to Manila.
Collaborators include my good friend and art director Kara Chung. She took the photos, made the art, and encouraged me to do this release right.
The album contains some of the hardest-hitting compositions in my catalogue: ‘Shaman techno’ as I would describe it. Also, this will be my first release that isn’t an SP-404 performance. Straight out the oven this time!” (Like Animals)
Lions and Acrobats
- Album: Auteur (Red Ninja Productions)
- Genre: Rock
- Tentative Date of Release: 3rd quarter, 2020
“Auteur. It’s a word used to describe a filmmaker who is very good at interpreting and expressing a piece from writing into film. It ties with the concept of the album, which is us interpreting our favorite movies into music. We picked six films to watch and wrote one song per film. All songs are named after their respective films.
It’s a lot more story-driven in terms of lyrics and music, so there are much more emotions and variety in it. It will make you feel scared, sad, hopeful, joyful, angry, etc. Normally when we write songs, we’d have a specific musical direction in mind but for this release, we just wanted them to sound like the movies they were named after so you can expect that every song would feel or sound very differently from one another.
All the songs are based on different movies that a member chose, led by the person who chose it, so expect a different theme per song, different emotions. The idea is to capture what we all felt while watching these films, and we hope you feel it too.
Our collaborators include Anton, Ninno, and David of Sunny Side Sound for recording, mixing and mastering. Dee Cruz did the backup vocals of ‘Patch Adams.’ Leanne Mamonong is also featured on ‘Inside Out.’ Maita Jalandoni did all our album artwork.” (Lions and Acrobats)
Lola Amour
- Album: Looking Back (Raccoon Productions)
- Genre: Indie rock / Funk / Soul
- Tentative Date of Release: TBD 2020
“We initially planned to launch our album late June. We’ve been planning everything since the start of the year, and everything was already set: the release dates, the album launch event, and our post-album tour. Unfortunately, because of everything that’s been happening, we couldn’t finish recording the tracks and we needed to postpone our plans indefinitely. Hopefully, the country’s situation will get better soon.
The album is basically a reflection of the memories in different phases of our lives. These moments stuck with us. They left a mark in our lives and, over the years, we’ve been trying to find the perfect way to share it. We think this album is it.
The album is being recorded with Nikhil Amarnani at Line In Records, a wonderful space that gets your creative juices flowing. Having Nik work with us is a dream come true. Not only does his studio have state-of-the-art equipment, he also has a creative mind and a great work ethic which allows us to express ourselves accurately. On the creative side, the band asked Joseph Gregory, the mind behind the song “Kafka” to produce a track on the album. We’ll keep the track a secret for now, but what we can say is that he added beautiful colors that we would have never thought of. It’s exciting.
The album will have 10 tracks. This includes both entirely new songs and some songs that we started playing live. Our listeners can expect a more mature sound, without losing that Lola Amour vibe we’re all used to.” (Lola Amour)
lui.
- Album: TBD (BuwanBuwan Collective)
- Genre: Experimental / Electronic
- Tentative Date of Release: October-November 2020
“There’s no official title yet but it’s going to be a beat tape/album of some of my favorite beats over the past four years. I haven’t really released much other than what’s on my Soundcloud releases or what I play at gigs so now i think it’s definitely time.
I’ve been making music since the start of college and now that I’m graduating, I thought I’d release a compilation of all the feelings and stages I went through in those four years through different beats.” (lui.)
Mazerboy
- Album: TBD (Independent)
- Genre: Indie rock / Bedroom pop
- Tentative Date of Release: TBA 2020
“I usually plan the release date as soon as I finish what I’m working on but for now, my goal is hopefully to be able to complete it somewhere mid-year. Based on the new songs that I’m currently writing, the underlying concept is still there, but it’s kind of amplified and more explored in a way.
I’m still the one doing the writing and the production on the new stuff, but I’m probably gonna need some help from my audio engineer friends when it comes to mixing and mastering. For sure it’s gonna be something fresh because of the new elements that iI’ll be incorporating. At the same time, I still try to associate it all on what defines the sound of Mazerboy.” (Mari Valencia, Mazerboy)
Midwife
- Album: TBD (Eclectic Kiss)
- Genre: Indie rock
- Tentative Date of Release: TBA 2020
“Midwife is the solo project of Zephra Lagos, the person behind Lucena post-rock band TIM AWA. She has an electric guitar-based sound that is comparable to Pinback, Pavement, and Kaki King. Here I’m applying a more organic approach which still yields an obscure, yet original subgenre of rock.” (Nick Lazaro, CEO/overall producer of Eclectic Kiss)
Morissette
- Album: TBD (Star Music)
- Genre: Pop
- Tentative Date of Release: 3rd quarter, 2020
“Morissette has always been an obvious pick among local artists ripe and ready for the global stage. With her astounding range and vocal capabilities, we’re releasing girl power anthems a la Beyoncé, with a wider vocal range channeled for this current generation. Expect Morissette to deliver the VOCALS.” (Jonathan Manalo, Creative Director/Executive Producer of ABS-CBN Music)
Nicholas Lazaro
- Album: TBD (Eclectic Kiss)
- Genre: Indie / Experimental / Blastbeats / Pop
- Tentative Date of Release: TBA 2020
“I don’t have a goal or direction whatsoever for a sound in particular. I’d rather have people go, ‘WTF is this?,’ than insincerely enjoying it. The music is best described as a gauntlet of genres Nick Lazaro has been involved in throughout his entire music career. From electronic to death metal, to classical music to ’80s and ’90s pop music. Imagine if Swing Out Sister and/or Third Eye Blind had blast beats.” (Nick Lazaro, CEO/overall producer of Eclectic Kiss)
Oh, Flamingo!
- Album: Volumes (Sony Music Philippines)
- Genre: Indie rock
- Tentative Date of Release: April 19, 2020 (Club Matryoshka – Listening party – sign up here); April 24 – (All music platforms)
“It’s very different from our first EP. I think the music matured along with us as people, and it really speaks volumes of that chapter of our lives. The songs took a lot of turns throughout the years. I guess it’s because we were all in the process of finding ourselves? I think the structure of each song shifted along with the tides of our lives, until we decided that it’s done and we need move on to the next.
It took a whole village to produce this EP, so expect to hear explorations of soundscapes beyond our usual, and a lot of new music production experiments.” (Howard Luistro, vocalist/guitarist of Oh, Flamingo!)
Olympia Maru
- Album: Golden Age (Independent)
- Genre: Indie rock
- Tentative Date of Release: Mid 2020
“[We] worked on this Olympia Maru record, which started right after the release of Taken By Cars’ Plagues in early 2017, with the vision of creating a more organic, gritty, imperfect, and less polished sound but with that one-take magic and vibe.
Sonically: more fuzzy, ‘gaze-y, psychedelic dad rock. The ‘special sauce’ still borrows mostly from indie guitar rock, but the songwriting is inspired by ’70s classic rock: specifically the mellower, introspective, singer-songwriter/Neil Young-type stuff.
Thematically, the album is a reflection of adulting in this day and age: kids, domestication, work… a reality that is visceral yet surreal at times.” (Siops Chua, Olympia Maru)
Pamcy
- Album: Sayaw (Independent)
- Genre: House / Disco / Electronic / IDM
- Tentative Date of Release: Mid-2020
“I worked on this project right after I finished my first album last year. At that time, I was regularly DJ-ing in clubs and I thought of putting together a sound diary of ideas I picked up from being a nightlife employee. When I finished the project, I ended up with this repackaged form of dance music that felt like it belonged more in intimate spaces than in clubs. I just wanted to make something that felt as liberating as club music, without the need to actually go to a club.
Aside from the original tracks from the EP that I worked on my own, I also asked a couple of fellow producers to make remixes. BABYBLUE is one of the remixers. I think I’m even more excited to put out his remix than my own tracks.
This EP isn’t too different from my previous releases but I think this is more textured and it has grittier elements.” (Pamcy Fernandez)
Pamphleteer
- Album: Collected Fiction (Offshore Music)
- Genre: Alt-Country / Folk
- Tentative Date of Release: TBA 2020
“It’s really just us trying our hand at a musical style that we’ve always had in the background, but never really practiced ourselves. Anyway, these are fucked-up love songs written as call-and-response dialogue. I think I’ve shed a lot of old skin in writing this. I’m more comfortable with the prosaic and, to an extent, surrendering to form, than I typically would be.
Sometime last year I let Ely Buendia listen to early versions of most of these songs. The short of it is he liked them, and offered to record and release them. So here we are. We’re very lucky to have his label, Offshore Music, releasing and distributing the record. This was a very quick record to make, thanks in no small measure to our producer Audry Dionisio’s mad skills, vision, and patience. She handled those sessions at Crow’s Nest like a boss, but also like an angel. Also, and this is kind of predictable, Ely’s presence was simultaneously inspiring and terrifying.
So anyway, from having a duo with just Dee [Cruz] and I, we now have a proper band. It’s Marco de Leon on guitar, Jun Ballesteros on bass, and Zig Rabara on drums. Our friend Japo Anareta from Tanya Markova guested on keys, and our two favorite Miguels (Miggy Abesamis from Musical O and Migs Querubin from Fools and Foes) played drums and guitar on two songs, respectively.” (Aldus Santos, guitarist/vocalist of Pamphleteer)
pcastlesss
- Album: secondth year (Genjitsu Stargazing Society)
- Genre: Indie / Electronic
- Tentative Date of Release: TBA 2020
“Again, the current state of the world is making things extra difficult. It’s going to be a proper physical release for Paula Castillo’s solo lo-fi project.” (Kurvine Chua, CEO of Genjitsu Stargazing Society)
Peregrine
- Album: French Toast (Melt Records)
- Genre: Indie rock
- Tentative Date of Release: TBA 2020
“It was supposed to be this May, but due to the pandemic, we had to delay our plans due to inconveniences like recording vocals from the studio, collaborating the song as a band, and recording each of the member’s parts. So, we’re looking at around the 3rd quarter of this year, considering the delays.
Looking into it, we’ve sorta had all these songs that we already jam out, and from the start, we (the band) had a goal of writing an album. At the time before we recorded our single ‘French Toast,’ we didn’t yet know what the album was going to be named. But, during the process of recording the song, Jaime suggested using [it] as the album title itself. The other members were skeptical at first, but shortly after, we thought that it’d be a nice and unique idea: breakfast cuisine as an album title. I guess in a way it also aligns with the randomness that we have in the process of writing these songs.
Recording alone, most probably, it would just be the band members. Janssen, lead vocals and guitars, handles most of the music production (both mixing and mastering), while the rest of the members pour out their musical prowess into the record.
Trying to live up to the name, expect that there are some sort of different genre approaches on some tracks in the record. Nonetheless, the album would mostly be indie rock. But, there are some soft songs too. As mentioned before, it has various styles in some tracks.” (Peregrine)
Pikoy
- Album: TBD (Eclectic Kiss)
- Genre: Indie / Experimental Pop
- Tentative Date of Release: TBA 2020
“[My] vision is to represent the off-kilter, yet palatable music available in the Philippines. The artists under the label, including Pikoy, are indeed “eclectic” because of their variety and originality.
Pikoy’s upcoming four-track EP is an exploration in augmented Filipino pop music. Everything is colorful and extreme in terms of arrangement.” (Nick Lazaro, CEO/overall producer of Eclectic Kiss)
Pinkmen
- Album: Tripsitting (Offshore Music)
- Genre: Indie / Folk / Alt-Country
- Tentative Date of Release: August 2020
“We were eyeing June for the release, but with the current circumstances, it’s probably going to get pushed back to sometime around August. Hopefully people will still be into gigs after all of this! ‘Cause we’re planning an all-out EP launch for this.
We’re still putting the pieces together bit by bit, but all we can say is that these songs have never been heard before, and that we intend to make this EP an auditory feast. We really want to bring something to the table that the likes of us and everyone from all walks of life would enjoy.
We were supposed to be on track to putting together this EP, but actual production is on hold for now. When things start functioning again, we’re really looking forward to collaborating with Ely Buendia, who we heard is interested in working with us in the production of this EP. We’re also toying with the idea of collaborating with a female artist for one of our tracks. Needless to say, we’ll definitely be working again with the likes of Audry Dionisio, Pat Sarabia, Pau Tiu, and the rest of the crew at Offshore Music.” (Matt Medrano, Pinkmen)
Polar Lows
- Album: TBD (Genjitsu Stargazing Society x Furiosa)
- Genre: Shoegaze / Dream pop
- Tentative Date of Release: September-December 2020
“This is going to be Polar Lows’ first album, and we couldn’t be more excited to share what we are working on at the moment. Most of the songs in the album are about self-confrontation, and acceptance of things we are not comfortable with about ourselves.
Johann Mendoza, our producer-sessionist, is passionately working with us on this. We all hope to finish before he migrates to Canada. He works closely with us with regards to the soundscapes and organized noise. Also check out his band, Sound Architects!
Some of the songs might not sound like the Hereafter EP, as we are in the process of challenging ourselves as musicians and breaking out of our comfort zones. We are still in the process of getting to know our distinct sound.” (Megumie Alcala, Polar Lows)
Sam Concepcion
- Album: TBA (Tarsier Records)
- Genre: Pop / Dance
- Tentative Date of Release: TBA 2020
“Sam has been working with some folks on a handful of very personal songwriting and production-intensive tracks over the past couple years that are finally going to see the light of day. This is really exciting because it is the first time that his fans and the world will get to hear Sam’s consummate voice singing his own words; things that he wrote about himself, his life, and his own experiences. As his producer for the EP, I have been the one sitting with him as he writes and records this stuff and some of it is really raw. It’s taken a long minute for us at Tarsier to get this project together because a lot of effort has gone into each track, but it has definitely been worth it if I do say so myself. This EP will expose Sam’s listeners and the wide world beyond to the different sides of his personal experiences—the heartbreak, the thrill, the turn-ups, the hopes over the past few years.
As this was a deliberately personal project, Sam wrote most of the songs himself, with assists on some lines from myself, his longtime collaborator and friend, who did all the composition, production, and arrangement on 4 out of 5 tracks, as well as the mixing on all five. One of the songs, “Reload,” sees co-production from industry legend Billy Crawford and was co-written by [Crawford’s] superstar wife, Coleen Garcia, as well a feature from Las Vegas-based Cuzzi Gang rapper Christian Kuya to round off this exciting banger with a very modern sound.
As for what’s in store for his upcoming record: a lot of different sounds and vibes, an intimate look into Sam’s personal experience, some great visuals that we’ve shot and an overall good time! Sam’s fans have been patiently waiting for this, sending kind encouragement from time to time, so they really deserve this more than anyone. This one is for the Samsters.” (Moophs, Executive Producer of Tarsier Records)
Sarah Geronimo
- Album: TBD (Viva Records)
- Genre: Pop / Electronic / Dance / R&B
- Tentative Date of Release: TBA 2020
“Sarah Geronimo is slated to drop the follow-up album to 2018’s This 15 Me this year. The ‘Tala’ singer will be more hands on in terms of creative direction, production, and publicity. As for collaborators and producers involved in the project, she decided not to preempt the details for the upcoming release by not sharing any pertinent information. We’ll definitely keep you posted once she’s ready.” (Viva Records Management)
SB19
- Album: TBD (Sony Music Philippines)
- Genre: Pop / Dance / Electronic / R&B
- Tentative Date of Release: TBA 2020
“The first part of the album universe contains four different emotions. Anger: ‘Love Goes,’ Sorrow: ‘Tilaluha,’ Pleasure: ‘Wag Mong Ikunot Ang iYong Noo,’ and Happiness: ‘Hanggang Sa Huli.’
Their upcoming single ‘Hanggang sa Huli’ will let the listeners know more about the meaning of true or genuine love. When you listen to it, it sounds sad. But in reality, it’s nostalgic. It talks about reminiscing the past, but the person is happy in the present for the opposite: that it’s possible to love someone even if you don’t end up together in the future. It’s mainly about acceptance.
CEO Geong Seong Han and composer and arranger Han Tae Soo are heavily involved in this project. Lyrics are written by SB19.” (SB19 Management)
similarobjects
- Album: “∞ regression (BuwanBuwan Collective)
- Genre: Experimental / Electronic
- Tentative Date of Release: October 21, 2020
“Screaming/crying in many languages into a pillow…. but that pillow was my laptop.
Harsh noise, razor-sharp sound design, never-ending drops and builds, operatic singing, afrobeat/ethnic rhythms, synth grit, blast beats, break-core, cinematic atmospheres—all that and you can expect a headache after listening to the whole thing.” (Jorge Juan Bautista Wieneke V, similarobjects)
skinxbones
- Album: if the police don’t get me, the cancer will (NOFACE RECORDS x Genjitsu Stargazing Society)
- Genre: Experimental
- Tentative Date of Release: Third quarter, 2020
“It’s gonna be a double concept album. The first half is angry, anti-authority. Second half is more introspective. [It’s] almost two years in the making.
Features from singles released include system33, dosage, beedz, lagro crew, and babylØøt. I want the other features to be a surprise. All of the tracks will have features.” (Tomi Uysingco, skinxbones)
Sour Cheeks
- Album: Oriental Traffic (cassette tape reissue via Genjitsu Stargazing Society)
- Genre: Indie Pop
- Tentative Date of Release: TBA 2020
“I feel like this amazing EP never got the traction it deserved. With the planned tape release, it’ll hopefully reach a wider audience. Currently, the bass tracks are being re-recorded.” (Kurvine Chua, CEO of Genjitsu Stargazing Society)
Struggle Records (Various Artists)
- Album: Noise from the South (compilation album via Struggle Records)
- Genre: Indie / Hardcore / Rock / Punk
- Tentative Date of Release: TBA 2020
“Originally it was made for our upcoming mini tour at Bulacan and Tarlac with The Tinge, The Poetics, and Stumped. But due to an unexpected problem, we were not able to attend the shows because the van that we should be using got messed up. So after that, I decided to make and extended version of it and added most of the bands that we’ve released in the past years.
Most of the bands were recorded by us, some came from Triangle Records and others were self-recorded. But we will be the only one producing the physical copies of the compilation.
The compilation includes 21 bands with one track each, so expect the best bands coming from our humble DIY-underground scene here in Naga.” (Struggle Records)
syd hartha
- Album: Binibini (Sony Music Philippines)
- Genre: Folk / World / Pop
- Tentative Date of Release: TBA 2020
“All the songs in the EP are written by myself as a young woman opening her eyes to the world. I want this to serve as a special message to fellow women, the ones who might have been through the same things I’ve been through, and most especially the younger girls who are only beginning to discover themselves and learning more about the behavior of people around them.
Johnoy Danao is one of the musicians I really look up to so it’s really a pleasure to have him produce my next tracks. Pat Tirano will be engineering our sessions. I’m excited to be working again with Bea Fabros on guitar, Raisa Racelis on bass, and Pat Sarabia on drums.
For the upcoming EP I’ll still be playing acoustic guitar with my band backing me up. We plan to add more elements and bring other people on board to help flesh out the different moods and narratives in my songs.” (syd hartha)
Tarsius
- Album: Culture Cow (Locked Down Entertainment)
- Genre: Electronic / IDM / House / Experimental
- Tentative Date of Release: May 2020
We were working on this since last year! Jay, besides playing acoustic drums, also produced tracks on this album. We always took inspiration from artists we look up to. They played a huge role in shaping our sound [and] this album is where it really came together. Also, watch out for our collaboration with Evee Simon of July XIV, who sings in one track. (Tarsius)
Tatz Maven
- Album: Sige Simula (Uprising Records Philippines)
- Genre: Hip-hop / Rap
- Tentative Date of Release: TBA 2020
“A diamond in the rough, solo emcee-producer Tatz Maven from General Santos City came out of nowhere with his first single, ‘Emcee,’ which displayed great promise in his mature beat production and nuanced views on what it should take to earn the title of Master of Ceremonies. After debuting on the FlipTop Battle League, Tatz Maven also emerged as champion of their local rap battle league, Digmaan GenSan [General Santos]. After a few more singles and a tried-and-tested showmanship at various hip-hop nights, Tatz became Uprising’s youngest addition and was one of the few selected to open up for the infamous Mobb Deep in Manila. Tatz continues to rock shows all across Mindanao and produce for his peers in GenSan, all while finalizing his debut album.” (Alaric Yuson, Uprising Records Philippines)
The Juans
- Album: Sirang Plaka (Viva Records)
- Genre: Pop rock
- Tentative Date of Release: Last quarter, 2020
“Sirang Plaka is for couples who find themselves in a loop of fights and disagreements like a broken record. Sometimes you get tired of the fights and someone would have to ask is: is it worth fighting for, or should we stop?
For our first release, we worked with ZVOQUE for the music, and The Juans produced the entire track, from recording to editing, mixing to mastering. We’re eager to announce other artists we’d be collaborating with, and it will be a delight showcasing them once we get the permission.” (Carl Guevara, The Juans)
The Rave Tapes
- Album: Infernorama (Genjitsu Stargazing Society x Furiosa)
- Genre: Indie / Shoegaze / Noise rock
- Tentative Date of Release: May 2020
“We are planning to do a launch of Infernorama in cassette format courtesy of Kurvine Chua of Genjutsu Stargazing Society in May 2020, while the exclusive event-only shirt will be by Pancho Karambola. The cassette/merch launch will be handled by Furiosa. But in light of current events, this might be pushed back to later this year.”
Infernorama is basically a collection of songs that we’ve working on for the past few years. It’s less thematically connected as much as we would like, scratch it to establishing our identity as a band. The full-length album would likely have a semblance of a theme.
The EP was recorded at Pointbee Multimedia, engineered and produced by Daniel Garcia (Earthmover) and mixed and mastered by Aaron Gonzales (Lenses). We also had support from Janlor Encarnacion of JLE Music who was documenting the recording as it progressed. (Romel Chua Amoncio, The Rave Tapes)
The Relax
- Album: Easy Walk – working title (Independent)
- Genre: Surf rock / Shoegaze / Disco / Alternative
- Tentative Date of Release: May-June 2020
“My EP is going to be called Easy Walk. I’ve been horrible with titles so that’s probably going to change. I plan to release it hopefully May, likely June, but it’s still tentative.
I’ve been fiddling with music as The Relax for more than five years. Two years ago, my friends made a bet that I finish and publish four songs within a month or else I’d owe them chicken kebabs. Clearly, I lost. However, it proved to be a good motivation because all the arrangements for the songs I’m releasing were finished within that month! That’s the most progress I’ve ever had with composing music. This EP serves as an exercise in finding my voice. It’s also a jolt of motivation for me to constantly find the rhythm to go with the flow.
I’m working with a lot of my friends who are songwriters, producers, and engineers. From Sunny Side Sound in Cubao Expo, I’m working with Anton Magno, David Lina, and Ninno Rodriguez for recording, mixing, and mastering. I love how hands-on they are with getting the best out of me. I would recommend them to any artist out there who needs a little creative perspective. Roberto Seña, my dear brother for a little over 10 years with She’s Only Sixteen, is helping me with my vocal takes. Lastly, our manager from Party Bear Records, Roy Macasaet, is managing me on the side while helping with mixing. The friendship involved makes everything feel so sentimental, despite the occasional nagging, haha!
[The EP is] dance-y! Or a little bouncier than full-on disco dancing? It’s hard to describe. I just know that for the two years that I’ve been listening to these songs, it’s comforting to know these tracks still get me moving to a groove. Also, I have a music video coming up very soon for ‘Hey I,’ so expect to see a dancing Andrew.” (Andrew Panopio, The Relax)
The Vowels They Orbit
- Album: ang unang ikot (Sony Music Philippines)
- Genre: Pop rock
- Tentative Date of Release: May 2020
“It’s something we’ve been working on for more than a year now. It’s a product of our first journey together and also talks about different feelings like jealousy, revenge, kilig, tension, and abuse; therefore, ang unang ikot.
All the songs were produced by 6cylemind guitarist, Rye Sarmiento, in his own studio, Backdoor Studio, as well as in Kodama Studio. And the whole EP will be released under Sony Music Philippines.” (The Vowels They Orbit)
This Band
- Album: TBD (Viva Records)
- Genre: Pop rock
- Tentative Date of Release: August/November 2020
“We didn’t really expect that we will be able to produce an album this year because of the schedule of the band, but looking at the bright side of everything that is happening now, we had an opportunity to sit and create, and we are all so excited to share it with you.
Expect that this album is created from the heart of each one of us. Since it was made during the enhanced community quarantine period, it is more challenging for us. But it also gave us an opportunity to work together in a different way and produced a song filled with love and honesty. [We] hope you like it.” (This Band)
TOMCAT OㅅO
- Album: Are We (Warner Music Philippines)
- Genre: Hip-hop / R&B
- Tentative Date of Release: April 2020
“TOMCAT OㅅO kicks off 2020 in full force with the release of their debut EP, Are We. The self-produced, three-track project boasts of the group’s innovative take on ’emotional hip-hop,’ offering bittersweet lyricism coated in sonic layers of a slick, hip-hop bounce that takes inspiration from the likes of Jordan Rakei, Hiatus Kaiyote, and the late J Dilla.
Jaren Ladia and Asch Catabona — the duo leading TOMCAT OㅅO — reflect on the intricacies of contemporary relationships in Are We. The EP’s title track explores the familiar tale of disappointing assumptions, while ‘Busy Girl’ and ‘One Sided’ dive deeper into rougher territories, traversing the exhausting experience of low expectations and the eventual breakup. Weaving honest and relatable storytelling into their creations, their narratives are brought to life by the exemplary combination of Jaren’s soothing vocals and Asch’s easy-going bars.
Are We showcases bright prospects for TOMCAT OㅅO as they continue to captivate listeners with their refreshing brand of hip-hop. With the EP simply teasing what they’re capable of, a full-length release is sure to catapult the group right into the spotlight.” (TOMCAT OㅅO)
Truefaith
- Album: 11 (Viva Records)
- Genre: Pop / Alternative
- Tentative Date of Release: June 2020
“We were supposed to be done with all of the tracks by now, but the community quarantine happened. We were also doing appearances on TV and radio in support of the first single ‘Dyahe’ before the health crisis escalated.
Our last single, ‘Uwian Na,’ from the recent album, Sentimental, was released in the latter part of 2019, and we felt that it would be really delightful to follow it up immediately with a new song off a different project. Akin to ‘Uwian Na,’ the new batch of songs will have minimalist, sparse arrangements, but have essentially rich sounds and texture. That is evident in the current single, ‘Dyahe.’ It will be clear that 11 will find us moving forward so to speak, but I believe it will be also comparable to Truefaith’s 1993 debut album, Perfect, in its lushness.
11 will be an album that our core fans, who’ve ‘grown’ with us, will very much find pleasant, satisfying, and perhaps younger music fans will see it as surprisingly appealing, too.” (Medwin Marfil, Truefaith)
Us-2 Evil-0
- Album: Filthy Finishers (Independent)
- Genre: Indie rock
- Tentative Date of Release: June 2020
“Everything is already recorded and our producer Mikey Amistoso is just putting on the finishing touches, mixing and mastering with Bogs Jugo (our drummer) who’s moved to Los Angeles last November. Aside from that, it’s all logistical stuff like designing the Spotify art cards, music video editing, legal, and licensing.
It’s been 11 long years since our debut album release in 2009. After that album, we played a lot of gigs, some mall shows, and luckily, had some gigs in Hong Kong and Singapore.
After that, logistics became hard when we all turned 30. Hahaha.
Three of us (Quark, Mich, and I) pursued post-graduate degrees in Los Angeles, Vancouver, and London respectively, while Nix started his painting career, and Bogs, his sound engineering career. Plus, Quark and I got married to our wives, so it was really tough to get everyone in one room after 2011, except for the occasional gig, of course.
Also, in the last decade, I think our indie pop sound had its time in the sun, and we sort of focused on other things.
But come 2019, since it was tough to schedule gigs, I received a message on social media asking if there were new materials by Us-2 Evil-0. And I showed it to Quark and he said he’s game to write new songs.
Quark came to out apartment in Makati on Fridays and we were able to write four new songs, despite our busy schedules. Then the others came in and we booked a studio to create the arrangements together, like the old days. It was really fun, like seeing your old friends from your twenties get back together again.
Then we had to fast-track production last year, since Bogs Jugo (our drummer) was moving to Los Angeles in November. We’ve also been lucky that this time around we were able to record drum and vocal tracks at Hit Productions.
Filthy Finishers is a four-song EP with the same Us-2 Evil-0 style of songwriting and arrangements, but we’ve incorporated some other styles of music into the mix such as Brooklyn indie rock, yacht rock, and ‘90s college rock.” (Wincy Ong, Us-2 Evil-0)
We Are Imaginary
- Album: TBD (floppydisks)
- Genre: Indie rock / Noise pop
- Tentative Date of Release: TBD 2020
“This has been our longest album to make—four years. After some personnel changes, we had to find our footing and just build the chemistry. Songs have been piling up so it’s just a matter of choosing which ones fit the overall mood. It’s exciting that Khalid (guitars) has been contributing songs, too, and we are mixing it up in terms of the arrangement.
This is our first collaboration with Redverb Studio, with RJ Mabilin as the main producer. Joey Santos, head of floppydisks – our new label, is also involved with engineering some tracks in LoveOneAnother Studio.
The album is quite sad and moody, but somewhat romantic. Some tunes are longer than usual. It’s quite thematic in the sense that it captures this brooding atmosphere of wanting an escape to Baler or somewhere far, far away.” (Ahmad Tanji, vocalist/guitarist of We Are Imaginary)
Zelijah
- Album: TIK-TOK-WOAH: WE ARE ALL NARCISSISTS (Sony Music Philippines)
- Genre: Hip-hop / R&B
- Tentative Date of Release: May 2020
“There’s no other better story than spontaneity. I just thought it’d be nice to create something light-hearted and easy to listen to and to release something people could not just listen to, but also use for their TikTok videos to help fight boredom amidst the enhanced community quarantine. Everyone’s gonna be a part of this historical album. It’s bizarre, pure fun and entertainment.” (Zelijah)
