Pop band ALYSON releases sophomore album

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FILIPINO city pop band ALYSON is set to drop their latest album, AFTER OURS, later this week. It marks their sophomore effort and further blends their major musical influences — Japanese city pop and the Manila Sound.

A week ahead of its release on digital platforms, the group held a listening party and press conference on May 15.

While their first album, Definitely Love!, is about the enthusiasm and excitement of being in love, the follow-up record “takes us on a journey to discover what happens after that,” said the members of the five-piece band, composed of Pio Ligot on vocals, Luis Uy on lead guitar, Marcus Mababangloob on drums, Miguel Erfe on bass, and Easel Manes on keyboard.

Its first song, “Ikaw Lagi,” jumps off from the feeling of the first album, which is festive and reminiscent of “seeing the person that you love on the dancefloor of a tropical club.” Conceptually, it eases the listener into the complexities of the new album.

“It culminates what came before. Then, we move into the second track, ‘Landi,’ which is less of a 5 p.m. beachside vibe and becoming a 7 to 9 p.m. ‘the night has begun’ kind of thing,” said drummer Mr. Mababangloob, who was the producer of the album.

He added that this is their “most ambitious album yet,” with a narrative that threads the eight tracks and very cinematic and vivid scenes inspiring each composition.

The song “Bighani” evokes the middle of the night, complete with temptations. The lead single, “Kung Sakaling Tanawin,” leans the most into 1970s and ’80s Manila Sound ballad influences, with trumpeter David Jorvina responsible for the orchestral arrangement befitting a pivotal telenovela moment.

“I was inspired by ‘Tuwing Umuulan at Kapiling Ka’ for the piano part. I channeled Ryan Cayabyab,” said keyboardist Mr. Manes. “Sinulat ko ito nang nakadungaw sa labas ng bintana (I wrote it while looking out the window) overlooking Antipolo.”

Meanwhile, the track “Talaga” features fellow Filipino city pop artist Paprikka.

Vocalist and lyricist Mr. Ligot said that, while it’s a playful, “lovey-dovey,” and tongue-in-cheek duet, it blends both the “Martin Nievera-Regine Velasquez synthy ’80s Manila Sound and cutesy Japanese city pop found in vintage animé.”

The music video for the song will come out alongside the album’s release. “This album really is our most ambitious creative effort so far, so we want to get it out both locally and internationally,” he said.

In keeping with the timeline, “Goodbye Summer” takes listeners to 4 a.m. in a brooding mood, supported by a full jazz band with horns. “The feeling of frustration is very authentic to the sound. We’re excited to play this live because of how big the production is,” Mr. Ligot explained.

The penultimate track, “24/7 Love and Care,” evokes the soft early morning before sunrise and serves as the breather of the album, while the final track, “Di Makapaniwala,” takes place in the movie’s end credits with the characters driving off into the sunrise.

Mr. Mababangloob said that they wanted the album to showcase “the direct middle of all of our city pop influences.”

“We wanted to close in the morning after spending a crazy night. It’s the resolute conclusion of love,” he said.

He also noted that, while they’re usually known as a city pop act, it only represents one part of the broad range of music that inspires them.

“We’re influenced by Japanese city pop like ANRI, Tatsuro Yamashita, and Taeko Onuki, but parallel to that are Manila Sound artists like Ryan Cayabyab, Basil Valdez, and Rico J. Puno,” he explained. “There’s always been a cross-cultural exchange in how music is made. We wanted to draw from that and contribute to that.”

The band even got to work with Eiji Hirano, the music engineer for Japanese city pop band Ryusenkei, with Mr. Mababangloob flying out to Tokyo as the songs were being mastered.

“City pop is seen as a nostalgic, gimmicky thing, but we don’t think it’s a set of clichés. We don’t subscribe to making it sound one way or another. Whether it’s city pop or Manila Sound, in our eyes, it’s all the same. It’s a melting pot,” he said, when asked how they view their mix of genres.

He quoted Ryusenkei frontman, Kunimondo Takiguchi, who once said that “city pop is an approach, combining pop, music, soul, and funk where the lines blur, because that’s what living in a city is like.”

“It’s inevitable that music will come out that way,” Mr. Mababangloob.

AFTER OURS will be out on all digital music streaming platforms worldwide on May 22 via Offshore Music, along with the official music video for the song “Talaga” featuring Paprikka. — Brontë H. Lacsamana