Album of the Week: Jay Som

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Album of the Week: Jay Som

Plus Stream New Albums from Sheer Mag, Taylor Swift, Missy Elliott, Joyero, BROCKHAMPTON, and More

Aug 23, 2019 By Christopher Roberts Jay Som

Jay Som (aka Melina Duterte) has released a new album, Anak Ko, today via Polyvinyl and it’s our Album of the Week. Find more info on the album below. Below that are streams of other notable albums and EPs released today: Sheer Mag, Taylor Swift, Missy Elliott, Joyero, BROCKHAMPTON, Raphael Saadiq, and Shannon Lay.

Jay Som: Anak Ko (Polyvinyl)

Anak Ko is the follow-up to 2017’s acclaimed Everybody Works, also on Polyvinyl (which was one of our Top 100 Albums of 2017). Duterte was based in the Bay Area, but relocated to Los Angeles prior to recording the new album. She recorded Anak Ko at home as the sole producer, engineer, and mixer. A previous press release pointed out that “in some songs, you can hear the washer/dryer near her bedroom.” Although it wasn’t a completely solitary affair, the album also features plenty of guests, including Vagabon’s Laetitia Tamko, Chastity Belt’s Annie Truscott, Justus Proffit, and Boy Scouts’ Taylor Vick, as well as her touring bandmates Zachary Elasser, Oliver Pinnell, and Dylan Allard.

The album’s title is pronounced “Ah-nuh Koh,” which means “my child” in Filipino. It was inspired by a text message from Duterte’s mother, who often addresses her as “anak ko.” “It’s an endearing thing to say, it feels comfortable,” Duterte said in the previous press release.

In the press release Duterte said the album is about the importance of patience and kindness and that those concepts have helped her growth as an artist. “In order to change, you’ve got to make so many mistakes,” she said. “What’s helped me is forcing myself to be even more peaceful and kind with myself and others. You can get so caught up in attention, and the monetary value of being a musician, that you can forget to be humble. You can learn more from humility than the flashy stuff. I want kindness in my life. Kindness is the most important thing for this job, and empathy.”

On Wednesday we posted our review of the album and you can read that here. Here’s an excerpt from Ryan Meaney’s review:

“Anak Ko is Melina Duterte’s most musically diverse record to date. With help from Vagabond’s Laetitia Tamko, Justus Proffit, and others, the record swirls and bends to new heights. Opening track ‘If You Want It’ would not be out of place on The Head on the Door or other early ‘80s records by The Cure, with bass and guitar slinking sexily under Duterte’s words. ‘Superbike’ sounds like an early ‘90s anthem, with the refrain of ‘Somebody tell me’ begging to be shouted along. Anak Ko is a record from an artist whose artistic voice sounds polished and refined, and whose continued growth and greatness will be a joy to witness.”

Previously Jay Som shared Anak Ko‘s first single, “Superbike,” via a lyric video for the track (it was #1 on our Song of the Week list). Then she shared another song from the album, the dreamy “Tenderness,” via a video for the track (it was also one of our Songs of the Week). Then she shared the album’s third single, “Nighttime Drive,” via a video for the track featuring a hula hooping alien (it was also one of our Songs of the Week).

The album is due out in North America on Polyvinyl, in Australia/New Zealand/Asia via Pod/Inertia Music, and in the rest of the world via Lucky Number.

Back in February Jay Som shared a brand new song, “Simple,” that was released as part of the Adult Swim Singles series. That song is not featured on the new album. Last year Jay Som teamed up with Justus Proffit for a collaborative EP, Nothing’s Changed.

Read our 2017 Pleased to Meet You interview with Jay Som.

Jay Som Tour Dates:

09/11 - Phoenix, AZ @ The Rebel Lounge #$
09/12 - San Diego, CA @ The Irenic #$
09/13 - Los Angeles, CA @ Echoplex #$
09/14 - San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore #$
09/17 - Vancouver, BC @ Imperial #$
09/18 - Seattle, WA @ Neumos #$
09/19 - Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge #$
09/20 - Boise, ID @ Neurolux #$
09/21 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge #$
09/24 - Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge #$
09/26 - Dallas, TX @ Club Dada #$
09/27 - Austin, TX @ Barracuda #$
09/28 - Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall (Upstairs) #$
10/15 - Lawrence, KS @ Granada %#
10/16 - Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry %#
10/17 - Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon %#
10/18 - Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall %#
10/19 - Columbus, OH @ The Basement %#
10/21 - Detroit, MI @ El Club %#
10/22 - Toronto, ON @ Velvet Underground %#
10/23 - Montreal, QC @ Bar Le Ritz PDB %#
10/25 - Brooklyn, NY @ Elsewhere %#
10/26 - Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair %#
10/27 - Burlington, VT @ ArtsRiot %#
10/29 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Foundry %#
10/30 - Washington, DC @ Rock & Roll Hotel %#
10/31 - Raleigh, NC @ Kings %#
11/01 - Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade (Purgatory Stage) %#
11/02 - Nashville, TN @ The High Watt %#
11/07 - Hamburg, Germany @ Molotow (Sky Bar)
11/09 - Stockholm, Sweden @ Bar Brooklyn
11/10 - Copenhagen, Denmark @ Ideal Bar
11/12 - Berlin, Germany @ Kantine am Berghain
11/15 - Paris, France @ Supersonic
11/16 - Brussels, Belgium @ Botanique (Witloof Bar)
11/17 - Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Bitterzoet
11/19 - Brighton, UK @ Patterns
11/20 - London, UK @ The Garage
11/21 - Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club
11/22 - Bristol, UK @ Exchange
11/24 - Manchester, UK @ YES (Pink Room)
11/25 - Nottingham, UK @ The Bodega Social Club
11/26 - Glasgow, UK @ Stereo
11/27 - Dublin, Ireland @ The Workmans Club

# w/ Boy Scouts
$ w/ Affectionately
% w/ Gia Margaret

www.jaysommusic.com