News
Plus Jay Som, Ducks Ltd., Hinds, Bartees Strange, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
May 10, 2024
By Mark Redfern
Welcome to the 16th Songs of the Week of 2024. This week Andy Von Pip, Caleb Campbell, Matt the Raven, and Scott Dransfield helped me decide what should make the list. We seriously considered over 25 songs this week and narrowed it down to a Top 10. More
The Soundtrack Also Features Proper., Sloppy Jane featuring Phoebe Bridgers, Florist, Caroline Polachek, and More
May 10, 2024
By Mark Redfern
The new A24 film, I Saw the TV Glow, was released to select theaters last week and today the soundtrack was released. It features new songs by Bartees Strange, Jay Som, The Weather Station, Proper., Sloppy Jane featuring Phoebe Bridgers, Florist, Caroline Polachek, and more. Stream the whole thing here. More
Jay Som-produced LP Doom Singer Due Out August 4 via Polyvinyl
Jul 11, 2023
By Kat Ramkumar
Floridian singer/songwriter Chris Farren has shared a music video for his new song “First Place,” which features Jeff Rosenstock on saxophone. More
LP Doom Singer Due Out August 4 via Polyvinyl
Jun 08, 2023
By Kat Ramkumar
Floridian singer/songwriter Chris Farren has recently shared a music video for his new song “Bluish” off of his upcoming album, Doom Singer. More
Someday Is Today Due Out September 2 via Kanine
May 18, 2022
By Joey Arnone
Canadian band Living Hour have announced the release of a new album, Someday Is Today, which will be out on September 2 via Kanine. They have also shared a video for the album’s lead single, “Feelings Meeting,” featuring Jay Som (aka Melina Duterte), who also co-produced the album. More
Plus Damon Albarn, Proper., Suuns, The Dodos, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Sep 03, 2021
By Mark Redfern (with Joey Arnone)
Welcome to the 33rd Songs of the Week of 2021. We liked enough new songs this week to form a Top 11. More
Doomin’ Sun Out Now via Polyvinyl
Sep 01, 2021
By Mark Redfern
Bachelor (a duo between Melina Duterte of Jay Som and Ellen Kempner of Palehound) released their debut album, Doomin’ Sun, back in May via Polyvinyl (stream it here). Now they have shared a brand new song “I See It Now,” that was recorded after the sessions for Doomin’ Sun were completed. More
Doomin’ Sun Out Now via Polyvinyl
May 28, 2021
By Mark Redfern
Bachelor (a duo between Melina Duterte of Jay Som and Ellen Kempner of Palehound) have released their debut album, Doomin’ Sun, today via Polyvinyl. Now that it’s out, you can stream the whole thing here. Also, on Thursday we posted our new interview with Bachelor and our review of the album. Plus, they have shared a new video for the album’s “Back of My Hand” that stars the duo as obsessed Harry Styles fans. More
Doomin’ Sun Due Out May 28 via Polyvinyl
Apr 22, 2021
By Mark Redfern
Bachelor (a duo between Melina Duterte of Jay Som and Ellen Kempner of Palehound) are releasing their debut album, Doomin’ Sun, on May 28 via Polyvinyl. Now they have shared a new song from it, the relaxed “Sick of Spiraling.” More
Plus Anjimile and Jay Som, Far Lands, Desperate Journalist, José González, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Apr 16, 2021
By Mark Redfern (with Joey Arnone, Caleb Campbell, and Emma Goad)
Welcome to the 14th Songs of the Week of 2021. In this week’s news, the case against former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in the murder of George Floyd wound down, with closing arguments expected on Monday. More
Reunion Due Out May 7 on Father/Daughter
Apr 13, 2021
By Joey Arnone
Anjimile has announced a new EP which will feature expanded orchestral versions of songs from his debut album, Giver Taker, along with collaborations with artists Jay Som, SASAMI, and Lomelda. The EP’s lead single, “In Your Eyes (Reflection),” which features Jay Som, has also been shared. Reunion will be out on May 7 via Father/Daughter. More
Doomin’ Sun Due Out May 28 via Polyvinyl; Watch the Video for New Single “Stay in the Car”
Mar 24, 2021
By Mark Redfern
Bachelor (a duo between Melina Duterte of Jay Som and Ellen Kempner of Palehound) have announced their debut album, Doomin’ Sun, and shared a new song from it, “Stay in the Car,” via a video for the single. More
Plus Flock of Dimes, Real Estate, Julien Baker, and a Wrap-up of the Week's Other Notable New Tracks
Feb 26, 2021
By Mark Redfern (with Joey Arnone)
Welcome to the seventh Songs of the Week of 2021. This week’s big music news was probably that Daft Punk had broken up. More
"Anything at All" Out Now via Polyvinyl
Feb 25, 2021
By Joey Arnone
Bachelor (the newly-announced duo between Melina Duterte of Jay Som and Ellen Kempner of Palehound) have shared their debut single together, entitled “Anything at All.” It is available now via Polyvinyl. More
And Other Things EP Due Out This Friday on Friends Of/Dead Oceans
Nov 17, 2020
By Joey Arnone
Routine, the collaborative project between Annie Truscott (bassist for Chastity Belt) and Melina Duterte (the artist behind Jay Som), have shared a new song, “Calm and Collected,” and an accompanying music video. More
New Series of Record Releases and Collaborations to Also Feature Devendra Banhart, Jay Som, Ramy Youssef, and More
Aug 04, 2020
By Jennifer Irving
Today, Secretly (the label group featuring Dead Oceans, Jagjaguwar, and Secretly Canadian) has announced Friends Of, a new collaborative effort that will be a series of special releases from artists, some part of the labels and others not. The first installment in the series will be Ryan Hemsworth’s Pout EP, out August 28th on Jagjaguwar, and they have shared its first single, “Keep Touch (Ft. Leland Whitty).” More
Jay Som Covers Soccer Mommy’s “lucy” and Soccer Mommy Covers Jay Som’s “I Think You’re Alright”
May 21, 2020
By Samantha Small
Soccer Mommy (aka Sophie Allison) is the gift that just keeps on giving. After spearheading an 8-bit animated tour, she has now launched the Soccer Mommy & Friends Singles Series. It kicks off with Soccer Mommy and Jay Som (aka Melina Duterte) trading covers More
Plus Nap Eyes, Jay Som, Wye Oak, Glass Animals, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Feb 21, 2020
By Christopher Roberts
Welcome to the seventh Songs of the Week of 2020. Since Monday was President’s Day here in America, it should’ve been a less busy week for new tracks, but there was still plenty to choose from and this week we’ve got 12 songs that we consider the week’s best. More
To Be Released as a 7-Inch Single on May 1 via Polyvinyl
Feb 20, 2020
By Christopher Roberts
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. More
Local Natives, Patti Smith, Jay Som, Japanese Breakfast, Phosphorescent, Hamilton Leithauser, and More
Nov 20, 2019
By Christopher Roberts
The National have announced the lineup to their 2020 Homecoming festival and that they will be performing their 2010 album High Violet in its entirety both nights of the festival. More
Plus Lana Del Rey, Elbow, Thom Yorke, First Aid Kit, and a Wrap-up of the Week's Other Notable New Tracks
Aug 23, 2019
By Christopher Roberts
Welcome to another Songs of the Week. It was another incredibly strong week for new songs. Last week we ended up with a Top 12, instead of our usual Top 10, and here we are again, except this time with a Top 13. Like last week, there are also a whole lot of honorable mentions. More
Plus Stream New Albums from Sheer Mag, Taylor Swift, Missy Elliott, Joyero, BROCKHAMPTON, and More
Aug 23, 2019
By Christopher Roberts
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. More
Anak Ko Out Now via Polyvinyl
Aug 23, 2019
By Christopher Roberts
Jay Som (aka Melina Duterte) has released a new album, Anak Ko, today via Polyvinyl. Now that the album is out, you can stream the whole thing here. More
Plus Joyero, Bat For Lashes, Jay Som, and a Wrap-up of the Week's Other Notable New Tracks
Aug 09, 2019
By Christopher Roberts
Welcome to another Songs of the Week. With last week’s list we had a clear #1 and #2 in Angel Olsen and HAIM. This week it was a bit more of a challenge to decide the final order. But we still managed a solid Top 10. More
Anak Ko Due Out August 23 via Polyvinyl
Aug 08, 2019
By Christopher Roberts
Jay Som (aka Melina Duterte) is releasing a new album, Anak Ko, on August 23 via Polyvinyl. Now she has shared another song from it, “Nighttime Drive,” via a video for the track. In it Duterte and her band are on the road in their tour van when they encounter a hula hooping alien. More
Plus Jay Som, Jenny Hval, Ride, Penelope Isles, Gruff Rhys, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Jul 13, 2019
By Christopher Roberts
Welcome to another Songs of the Week. We didn’t do a Songs of the Week last week because of the July 4th holiday; there really weren’t too many new songs last week. So this week’s edition covers songs from both this week and last week, hence we have 12 choices. More
Anak Ko Due Out August 23 via Polyvinyl
Jul 11, 2019
By Christopher Roberts
Jay Som (aka Melina Duterte) is releasing a new album, Anak Ko, on August 23 via Polyvinyl. Previously she shared its first single, “Superbike,” via a lyric video for the track (it was #1 on our Song of the Week list). Now she has shared another song from the album, the dreamy “Tenderness,” via a video for the track. More
Plus Blanck Mass, Bon Iver, Japanese Breakfast, and a Wrap-up of the Week's Other Notable New Tracks
Jun 07, 2019
By Christopher Roberts
Welcome to another Songs of the Week. There were several notable albums announced this week, which meant some strong opening singles to choose from, as well as a few album tracks. More
Anak Ko Due Out August 23 via Polyvinyl
Jun 04, 2019
By Christopher Roberts
Jay Som (aka Melina Duterte) has announced a new album, Anak Ko, and shared its first single, “Superbike,” via a lyric video for the track. She has also announced some tour dates. More
Part of the Adult Swim Singles Series
Feb 19, 2019
By Christopher Roberts
Bay Area singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Jay Som (aka Melina Duterte) has shared a brand new song, “Simple.” It was released as part of the Adult Swim Singles series. More
Plus BADBADNOTGOOD, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Young Galaxy, Ryley Walker, and a Wrap-up of the Week's Other Notable New Tracks
Sep 28, 2018
By Christopher Roberts
We tend to avoid including cover versions in our Songs of the Week list, as they are not truly new songs, but this week we have included two notable ones in our main list. We also rarely include live songs in our Top 10 songs, but have made a big exception this week. More
Nothing's Changed EP Due Out Friday via Polyvinyl
Sep 25, 2018
By Christopher Roberts
Bay Area singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Jay Som (aka Melina Duterte) has teamed up with Justus Proffit for a collaborative EP, Nothing’s Changed, which is due out this Friday, September 28, via Polyvinyl. Now they have shared another song from it, “Invisible Friends.” More
Plus Middle Kids, GUM, Ed Schrader's Music Beat, Soccer Mommy, Laura Veirs, Jay Som, and a Wrap-up of the Week's Other Notable New Tracks
Feb 02, 2018
By Mark Redfern
Wow, what a week for fantastic new tracks. Last week when we were putting together the Songs of the Week the pickings were slimmer and the best we could come up with was nine songs, rather than a full 10. More
Part of Amazon Music's "Love Me, Love Me Not" Playlist
Feb 02, 2018
By Christopher Roberts
Bay Area singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Jay Som (aka Melina Duterte) has shared a new song, “Hot Bread.” The song is part of Amazon Music’s Valentine’s Day-timed “Love Me, Love Me Not” playlist, which yesterday gave us “Up On a Mountain of Love,” a new song by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys and The Arcs. More
Plus Lord Huron, Kevin Morby and Waxahatchee, Franz Ferdinand, Loma, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Jan 26, 2018
By Christopher Roberts
After two weeks of a plethora of tracks vying to be one of our Songs of the Week, this week the pickings were slimmer. Thus this week we have only nine best songs, instead of 10. There were also a lot of covers this week. More
Pirouette 7-Inch Out Today via Polyvinyl
Jan 26, 2018
By Christopher Roberts
Bay Area singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Jay Som (aka Melina Duterte) released a fantastic album, Everybody Works, last March via Polyvinyl. (It was one of our Top 100 Albums of 2017.) Today she has released, via Polyvinyl, the new Pirouette 7-inch featuring two songs recorded during the Everybody Works sessions that didn’t make the album: “Pirouette” and “O.K., Meet Me Underwater.” More
Pirouette 7-Inch Due Out January 26 via Polyvinyl
Jan 12, 2018
By Christopher Roberts
Bay Area singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Jay Som (aka Melina Duterte) released a fantastic album, Everybody Works, last March via Polyvinyl. (It was one of our Top 100 Albums of 2017.) Now she has announced a new 7-inch featuring two songs recorded during the Everybody Works sessions that didn’t make the album: “Pirouette” and “O.K., Meet Me Underwater.” More
Another Dark Year Was Brightened By a Plethora of Fantastic Albums
Dec 30, 2017
By Mark Redfern
2016 was regarded as a fairly rough year by many, but 2017 was no walk in the park either. 2016 was mired by the deaths of several beloved musical icons (David Bowie, Prince, Leonard Cohen, George Michael, and Sharon Jones among them) and the disappointing and divisive Presidential election, but in 2017 we had to deal with the ramifications of said election (we’d say that roughly 95% of the musicians we interview likely don’t support many, if any, of President Trump’s policies). More
Everybody Works Out Now via Polyvinyl
Oct 10, 2017
By Christopher Roberts
Bay Area singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Jay Som (aka Melina Duterte) released her debut full-length album, Everybody Works, back in March via Polyvinyl. It’s an eclectic and confident mix of dream pop and garage rock. Now she has shared a video for “The Bus Song.” Japanese Breakfast (aka Michelle Zauner) directed the video, which features Duterte and friends goofing around the Bay Area, picking up more musicians as they go. More
Everybody Works Out Now via Polyvinyl
Jul 18, 2017
By Christopher Roberts
Bay Area singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Jay Som (aka Melina Duterte) released her debut full-length album, Everybody Works, back in March via Polyvinyl. It’s an eclectic and confident mix of dream pop and garage rock. Now she has shared a new song on Bandcamp, “Time Off Work,” under the name Melina Mae. More
Everybody Works Out Now via Polyvinyl
May 18, 2017
By Christopher Roberts
Bay Area singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Jay Som (aka Melina Duterte) released her debut full-length album, Everybody Works, back in March via Polyvinyl. More
"Our First 100 Days" Will Include a New Song Every Day for the First 100 Days of Donald Trump's Presidency
Apr 27, 2017
By Christopher Roberts
“Our First 100 Days” is an anti-President Donald Trump project. The good folks behind the “30 Days, 30 Songs” anti-Trump campaign during the election have teamed up with Secretly Group for “Our First 100 Days.” More
Issue 60 Also Includes Interviews with alt-J, Grandaddy, Jarvis Cocker, Mount Eerie, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Perfume Genius, Slowdive, Little Dragon, London Grammar, Mew, Real Estate, Goldfrapp, The New Pornographers and Much More
Apr 07, 2017
By Christopher Roberts
Under the Radar is excited to announce the full details of our Spring 2017 Issue, which is out now digitally via Under the Radar’s app and the magazine app Readly. The print version is about to ship out to subscribers and stores and will be on all newsstands soon (as well as available soon digitally via the magazine apps Zinio and Readly). More
Everybody Works Due Out March 10 via Polyvinyl
Feb 27, 2017
By Christopher Roberts
Bay Area singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Jay Som (aka Melina Duterte) will release her debut full-length album, Everybody Works, on March 10 via Polyvinyl. More
Interviews
May 27, 2021
By Mark Moody
Bachelor is the recently formed duo of Palehound’s Ellen Kempner and Jay Som’s Melina Duterte. The now fast friends originally met on a brief run of West Coast dates in 2017, which budded into a series of cross-country online hangs over the years. More
Dec 11, 2019
By Matt Fink
Melina Duterte has no need for embellishment. Ask her how she came up with the title of her third full-length release as Jay Som, Anak Ko, and she admits it has no particular connection to the album. More
Jun 29, 2017
By Laura Stanley
On “The Bus Song,” the first single from Everybody Works, the official debut album from Jay Som (aka Melina Duterte), Duterte has a conversation with a friend. Along the bumpy journey, their exchange is bolstered by conviction and compassion: “I can be whoever I want to be,” Duterte softly sings. More
Reviews
Aug 21, 2019
By Ryan Meaney
The growth of Melina Duterte has been both exponential and unsurprising. After releasing a collection of demos onto Bandcamp in 2015 (with a subsequent re-release of those songs becoming 2016’s Turn Into), the artist known as Jay Som dropped her debut LP, 2017’s Everybody Works, to critical acclaim. More
Jul 31, 2018
By Max Freedman
Melina Duterte is a champ. More