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Feb 20, 2020 By Christopher Roberts Photography by Lissy Laricchia Jay Som

Jay Som (aka Melina Duterte) released a new album, Anak Ko, last year via Polyvinyl. Now she has shared two new songs, “A Thousand Words” and “Can’t Sleep,” that were recorded during the sessions for Anak Ko but didn’t make the final tracklist. They will be released as two sides of a 7-inch single on May 1 via Polyvinyl, but can be streamed digitally below. Also below are Jay Som’s upcoming tour dates and the 7-inch’s cover art.

Duterte had this to say about “A Thousand Words” in a press release: “This song was made after a year of extensive touring plus a cancelled tour. I forced myself to make a sort of big and jovial song to bring me out of the funk I was in. I also wanted to remind myself that music can be fun! It was heavily inspired by Bruce Springsteen, Elliott Smith, Pavement and that song ‘Alright’ by Supergrass.”

Of “Can’t Sleep” she had this to say: “‘Can’t Sleep’ was made in August or September 2017 while I was living with my parents in between U.S. tours, before I moved to LA. I think I had all my gear packed away somewhere that I couldn’t access, so I used instruments left over in my childhood room: a broken acoustic guitar, chopsticks on a snare drum, a bad hi hat, and my trumpet. Everything was recorded through the laptop mic. I was pretty frustrated with the California heat and the fact that I couldn’t record properly, so this sort of fever dream song was born.”

Anak Ko was our Album of the Week and one of our Top 100 Albums of 2019.

Read our interview with Jay Som on Anak Ko.

Read our review of Anak Ko.

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). Then when the album was released, album track “If You Want It” was also #1 on our Songs of the Week list.

Anak Ko was 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.

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

Jay Som Tour Dates:

02/20 - Auckland, New Zealand @ Neck of the Woods
02/21 - Sydney, Australia @ Oxford Art Factory
02/22 - Brisbane, Australia @ The Foundry
02/23 - Melbourne, Australia @ NorthCote Social Club
02/25 - Osaka, Japan @ Shangri-La
02/26 - Tokyo, Japan @ Club Quattro
02/29 - 03/01 - Jakarta, Indonesia @ Java Jazz Festival
03/17 - Bristol, UK @ The Fleece #
03/18 - Brighton, UK @ Patterns #
03/19 - London, UK @ The Garage # [SOLD OUT]
03/21 - Manchester, UK @ YES #
03/22 - Nottingham, UK @ Bodega Social Club #
03/24 - Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club #
03/25 - Glasgow, UK @ Stereo #
03/26 - Dublin, Ireland @ The Workman’s Club #
03/28 - Liverpool, UK @ Leaf #
03/29 - Birmingham, UK @ The Sunflower Lounge #
03/31 - Brussels, Belgium @ Botanique (Witloof Bar)
04/01 - Paris, France @ Supersonic #
04/03 - Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Bitterzoet
04/05 - Stockholm, Sweden @ Bar Brooklyn
04/06 - Copenhagen, Denmark @ Ideal Bar
04/07 - Hamburg, Germany @ Molotow (Skybar) #
04/08 - Berlin, Germany @ Kantine am Berghain #
04/17 - Baltimore, MD @ Rams Head Live! $
04/18 - Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel $
04/19 - Charlotte, NC @ Neighborhood Theater
04/20 - Saxapahaw, NC @ Haw River Ballroom $
04/22 - Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium $%
04/24 - New Orleans, LA @ Civic Theatre $
04/26 - Austin, TX @ Stubb’s $
04/28 - Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse $
05/09 - Cincinnati, OH @ The National Homecoming Festival
05/23 - Boston, MA @ Boston Calling
06/04 - Nelsonville, OH @ Nelsonville Music Festival
06/06 - New York, NY @ Governors Ball
06/07 - Los Angeles, CA @ Virgin Festival

# w/ Lazy Day
$ w/ Sharon Van Etten
% w/ Julien Baker

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