Letting the half-decade of life and work since releasing 2019's Anak Ko filter not only into her songs but also her process, Melina Duterte, aka Jay Som, has opened up her music to herself and her memories, writing songs that revisit the sounds of her youth with the benefit of her experience as a musician, producer, and performer. No previous Jay Som album sounds quite like Belong, a gripping 11-song set about self-definition and, well, belonging, that floats between supercharged power-pop hits and hazy ballads, between electronic curiosities and lighters-up anthems. Growing up with alt-rock radio outside of San Francisco, Melina memorised the hits of early ’00s pop-punk and emo as a teen. Fittingly, that is Jimmy Eat World’s Jim Adkins, one of those childhood heroes, offering background vocals on "Float"; whilst Hayley Williams lends soft harmonies on the arcing “Past Lives”, and Lexi Vega, of Mini Trees, contributes to "Cards On The Table", these three are Jay Som’s first-ever guest vocalists, representing Duterte’s push to try new things with people she trusts. Since her last album, Melina decided to splurge on herself and her lifelong interest in recording. Purchasing a vintage Neve console, she committed herself to becoming more than her own home-recording engineer. Five years later, she now boasts a rich résumé of production and mixing credits, including on Lucy Dacus’ latest album Forever Is A Feeling, guest spots alongside the likes of Troye Sivan, No Rome and beabadoobee, a contribution to A24’s I Saw the TV Glow soundtrack, and a Grammy for her work on The Record by boygenius, the band she subsequently joined as a touring member. Yes, Jay Som itself has been on a bit of a break, but Duterte has been busier than ever.
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