Eight-piece pop-funk sensation Lola Amour celebrates the release of their highly-anticipated self-titled debut album with a back-to-back show in Manila and Cebu. Lola Amour recently concluded the first leg of their launch last April 13 at the Circuit Event Grounds. A trip to Draft Punk, Cebu on April 27 will follow this, with Cebu’s very own Mandaue Nights and The Sundown supporting the show.
“Our best songs are usually about facing the worst of times but when you take out the lyrics, the music behind it sounds fun. I think that reflects the feeling of acceptance that we all want to feel on our worst days,” the band said.
Talking about their experience of putting the album together, they added, “The biggest challenge we faced when creating an album was making it feel cohesive. It’s different from making a single or an EP because there are so many layers to creating and curating a compilation of songs that feed into each other. And aside from just the musical aspect, there are so many things you have to figure out creatively including the visuals, packaging, and how you plan to communicate this body of work that you worked so hard on to your audiences. A funny story would be how we’ve been telling our fans that the album is just a lie and we’ll just keep telling them until they stop believing us.”
Tracks in the album include the latest single “Umiinit”, a song inspired by the likes of Red Hot Chili Peppers, James Brown, and Shintaro Sakamoto about dealing with the itch to get up and dance. It’s the band’s first time exploring this sound, which took 5 years to produce; “Saan Kakapit”, a song in response to the band’s past song, “Raining In Manila”. It is sung in the perspective of the person Raining In Manila is speaking to, explaining that moving away from home to pursue better opportunities doesn’t necessarily mean life is easier, but in fact harder because of the loneliness it entails; “This Ain’t Love”, a song about the early stages of love, when things are still simple. It’s about being able to be happy with where things are going without thinking too much about the more complex things that a long-term relationship requires; and of course, their biggest hit to date, “Raining In Manila”. Heavily influenced by Japan’s City Pop movement, Raining In Manila is a take on loneliness in a city that has seen more than its fair share of diaspora. At first glance, the song may seem like it’s about long-distance relationships, but it’s actually about missing a friend that has migrated to another country in pursuit of a better life.
With their first single ‘Namimiss Ko Na’ from the album, Lola Amour offers an ode to the past while embracing the joy of the present. “Our best songs are usually about facing the worst of times but when you take out the lyrics, the music behind it sounds fun. I think that reflects the feeling of acceptance that we all want to feel on our worst days,” the band said.
The album tracklist includes:
1. Umiinit
2. Saan Kakapit
3. This Ain’t Love
4. Namimiss Ko Na
5. I’ll Give My Heart
6. If I Ever Come Back
7. Raining In Manila
8. Lost For Words
Photo courtesy of Lola Amour. Read the mechanics here.
Since they started back in 2016, Lola Amour easily skyrocketed in the music industry, boasting numerous career highlights including sold-out shows nationwide, collaborations with established acts, even sharing the stage with international stars like Coldplay.
Lola Amour has evolved since their first EP ‘Don’t Look Back’, and they continue to progress. The band aims for a versatile sound that remains true to Lola Amour’s style. “We want people to see how fluid our sound can be while sounding so much like Lola Amour. In past interviews, we’ve told people that we don’t have a genre but people keep telling us that we have our sound, whatever that means. That doesn’t refer to just the musical aspect of the songs but also the themes we’ve chosen for this album. We have a couple of love songs but we also have some songs about mental health, which were inspired by real-life events that are close to our hearts. Hopefully, we can play our part in influencing what is in the mainstream.”
‘Raining in Manila’ has been a massive hit, boasting over 119 million streams and 75 million views on YouTube. It drew a crowd of 40,000 at its first tour stop in Luneta and made history as the first OPM track to reach number one on Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, and YouTube Music charts at the same time.
Stream the new ‘Lola Amour’ album on Spotify here, and take a peek at the ‘Namimiss Ko Na’ music video here. Follow Lola Amour on its socials on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Spotify, Apple Music, TikTok, YouTube, and Threads.
