Jay Som – Belong

Half a decade after the release of her 2019 album "Anak Ko," Melina Duterte, aka Jay Som, has opened up to herself and her memories, crafting songs that recreate the sounds of her youth, drawing on her experience as a musician, producer, and performer. No previous Jay Som album sounds quite like "Belong," a haunting 11-song set about self-definition and belonging, floating between powerful power-pop hits and hazy ballads, between electronic curiosities and uplifting anthems.

Melina grew up listening to alternative rock outside San Francisco and memorized the hits of early 2000s pop-punk/emo as a teenager. Fittingly, it's Jim Adkins (Jimmy Eat World), one of those childhood heroes, who provides backing vocals on "Float." While Hayley Williams contributes gentle harmonies on the bouncy "Past Lives" and Lexi Vega (Mini Trees) contributes to "Cards On The Table," these three are Jay Som's very first guest vocalists and represent Duterte's commitment to trying new things with people she trusts.

Since her last album, Melina decided to indulge her lifelong interest in recording. Purchasing a vintage Neve console, she vowed to become more than just her own home sound engineer. Five years later, she boasts an extensive list of production and mixing credits, including work on Lucy Dacus's latest album, "Forever Is A Feeling," guest appearances alongside Troye Sivan, No Rome, and beabadoobee, a contribution to the soundtrack of A24's "I Saw The TV Glow," and a Grammy for her work on "The Record" by boygenius, the band she later joined as a touring member.

Reviews

"Belong is full of lyrics about being on the outside looking in, a perspective that gives context to its skillful mix of angsty and dreamy textures." – Allmusic