NEW TRACK: The Tough Ones - "Last Oath"

It’s remarkable to hear a virtually unknown singer-songwriter capture serene beauty in a song stripped down to its essentials. On the new track “Last Oath,” Cebu-based folk troubadour Vincent James Eco serenades listeners with an exquisitely arranged folk ditty that adds a considerable amount of melancholy and breathless wonder to the mix. You could immediately feel the lush arrangements orchestrate within closed door intimacy, in which he wraps easy, soothing melodies with understated drama. And as soon as it ends, you’ll want to hit repeat and start again until you succumb to a deep sleep. Stream the track below:

NEW TRACK: No Rome Feat. Zeon - "Don't Let Go"

Deserting the effervescent club-pop spirit of “Dance With Me”—the internet crossover that landed him a spot on MTV Iggy and other Hypem blogs, No Rome recruits his brother-for-life Zeon Gomez on a retro-futurist banger rendered with unconventional sound choice and ambition. On “Don’t Let Go,” Rome has found himself locked up in the woozy downer of relationship troubles, meticulously crafting introverted dance music with his heart ripped on the paper shredder.

Exploring the fringes between experimental trappings and accessibility, Rome folds in a few more layers of Giorgio Moroder throb, heavy reverb, and droning psychedelic synths to evoke a pretty singular mix of yearning and hopelessness, but more than the stylistic overhauls that radiate in the background, the real highlight of this particular track is the songwriting, which for all its juvenilia, showed his vulnerable, emotional side.

“Time isn’t always a favor, a battle we all have to fight,” he intimates over a heavily filtered, chillwave groove that eventually slurs into washes of echoes and ambient drown. Things start to get interesting when Rome flaunts his emotions on the dancefloor with an enduring guise—drinks spilled on shirt, stomping wildly to the beat until the feeling momentarily wears out and haunts. Exploring this path might be a lucrative option, but leave it to Rome when it comes to leaving the audience wanting for more.

NEW TRACK: Spazzkid - "40 Winks" (Justin de Guzman Remix)

While Spazzkid’s “40 Winks” is a gorgeous bedroom anthem on its own, hiphop/electronica producer Justin de Guzman took the track from the far depths of the internet straight to the IDM vault, tossing the summery laid-back grooves around his own obscure constructions.

What draws me the most about Justin’s own take of the song is the transition, the slow build from unkempt electro-chill flourish to the last minute of gurgling, pulsing house thump. And somewhere midway in the clubland paradise, as JDG’s about to locate the climactic pleasures of the original, he loses it to the floor and pulls off his own idiosyncratic elements that had us salivating for more. Bring your homies and beat this track to the ground:



Justin De Guzman’s awesome take on “40 Winks” is part of Spazzkid’s Desire Remix album to be released soon. For more details visit his bandcamp page.

NEW TRACK: Farewell Fair Weather - "Rough Skies"

It’s amazing how a young, collegiate band like Farewell Fair Weather have easily earned a deified place in the local gig circuitry, based on impassioned and remarkable live performances alone. Their dexterity in combining swooping pop-jazz musicality with contemporary soul fervor, one that emphasizes raw emotions and improvisational arrangements instead of clinical technique, is commanding to say the least. But wait ‘til Mic Manalo opens her mouth and starts captivating the audience with intimated sensuality and youthful charm that could only arrive with time.

On their new track “Rough Skies,” FFW have successfully translated the smooth jazz vibe of their live performances into recording, putting their own breezy intonations to the brew. Its silken groove moves freely from one accent to another, and in a matter of minutes, cocoons into a bright-eyed improvisational earworm that you wish won’t stop.

And with all due respect to a lot of jazz musicians out there, its’ pretty refreshing to listen to the rubbery basslines, earthy drum beats, funky guitar solos and warm keyboard tones that veer towards self-indulgence, and instead provide a one-of-a-kind sparkle that suits the velvet optimism of the song. And Mimic—what can I say? She has reasserted herself as one the most promising voices in the emerging local music. Her understated, keening voice is sophisticated in its own little way, and I love that she’s more in control than ever. via ndfy.me

NEW TRACK: Against The Light x Skymarines - "Nighttime Mist"

In no less than a year, Davao-based electro-pop act, Skymarines have made a remarkable crossover from blog-pop pixie to Terno Recordings’ newest darling, a proof that the next wave of future big shots could be found lurking around Soundcloud, posting demos that might get a second chance on other viable platforms outside the internet. Recently, she collaborated with Cagayan De Oro’s electronic producer Against The Light on the track called “Nighttime Mist,” and as cold and haunting as the title suggests, both artists have embraced the midnight artifice of Chvrches’ dream-pop suave, lacing it with shimmering guitars that glide and soar above the ambient pulse.

But it’s Isa Añiga’s lilting coos that pretty much gave the song its much-needed sunlight. She sings as if her voice is destined to be the world’s only centerpiece—beautiful, almost unreal, floating in wherever the gentle whirl takes it. John Uy of ATL on the other hand, holds everything together, without ever breaking. The beats and minimalist post-rock build he drops, never too empowering, are executed with just the right amount of finesse and subtlety. Download the track here.

NEW TRACK: Hello Joe - "Just A Wonder"

Of course, its’ easy to denounce Hello Joe as another fairly talented newcomer shuffled into derivative post-Britpop playground ala Arctic Monkeys or The Libertines. But with new track “Just A Wonder” in tow, Hello Joe brim at the seams with vehement energy and catchy guitar chords, and prove critics that they’ve got some hook-laden summer tunes to churn. Moreover, the songcraft displayed here—youthful and incredibly refreshing—indicates that these quirky lads have studied their lesson well and wore their influences right on the sleeves. Stream it below. via ndfy.me