Lola Amour on Living in The Moment of Their Ever-Evolving Sound
It’s only been a couple of months since “Dance with My Mistakes” took over the airwaves with the funky “Misbehave,” following suit not long after, giving Lola Amour fans a reason to hit the replay button on repeat. But we should’ve known that was only the beginning.
Last July 17, the Filipino band surprised fans and friends from the media with the announcement of their second album, “Love on Loop,” slated to release on Aug. 15. The Beat Manila got to witness this exciting moment as the band held an intimate listening session and exclusive conference at Warner Music Philippines office in Bonifacio Global City — just a few hours before their new single, “The Moment” featuring Kokoro of the Japanese boy band, PSYCHIC FEVER, dropped.
“It’s been more than a year since we released our last album, but that doesn’t mean we haven’t been hard at work,” said Pio Dumayas, the band’s lead vocalist, as he shared how the band has been strengthening their relationships outside of the country from collaborating with foreign artists, making connections, and working with Warner Music in other territories. From this, they were able to conceive their sophomore record with a lineup of songs that were packed with sincere storytelling, relatable themes, and a fresh sound that somehow blends and bends existing genres today.
“This is an album we worked on last year. We went to Malaysia to write with Hyuk Shin (EXO, SHINee, Justin Bieber) and CUURLEY. This album has eight songs, and each song is a story about an experience with love from a band member. It tackles each stage of love.”
Pio also explained the concept behind the title, which is meant to highlight the “cyclical nature of falling in love, falling out of love, and finding yourself.”
Love at First Listen
One of our favorite things about a full album is the journey. In the age of singles and EPs, nothing hits hard quite like a full record with a bunch of songs that tell a story from start to end. Because that's what music is all about — telling stories and expressing the emotions that happen in between its events.
“Love on Loop” is basically a collection of love songs — an exploration of love experiences and relationships from the heart-skipping first glances to the devastating heartbreaks and woes of regret.
The album opens with an instrumental intro that sets the vibe. The tone is funky, a glimpse into the album’s overall mix of genres, composed of retro-inspired sounds. The track then transitions to the first full song, “The Moment,” a song that describes that thrilling rush of meeting someone new, their presence lighting a flame that burns all sorts of questions.
In an exclusive interview with The Beat Manila, we asked the band how the collaboration came about and what it was like working with the Japanese singer.
“Japan’s work ethic is kind of crazy,” commented David Yuhico (Keyboardist). “They’re so honorable. When they say they’ll do something, they’ll do that and three more things! This song was done remotely. We already recorded the song with Pio singing all of the vocals. They liked it and said they wanted to collaborate.”
Jeff Abueg (Saxophonist) also added how Kokoro truly brought his unique texture to the track, while guitarist Zoe Gonzales shared how PSYCHIC FEVER and their team were so accommodating with them despite currently being on tour during the production process. “It’s been really smooth sailing with them. The turnover was quick,” he said.
Meanwhile, Kokoro also made a guest appearance at the conference via video, where he talked about the collaboration — his first since joining the label — and how he hopes it will be a door for their group to visit the Philippines and meet their fans, as well as expand both the scope of their activities and musical range.
“It’s a style of singing and atmosphere that I personally haven’t expressed before. Since PSYCHIC FEVER’s songs and this collaboration differ in sound and overall vibe, I think that contrast is something listeners can enjoy,” the J-Pop artist shared.
As the listening party went on, we got to hear glimpses of the other unreleased tracks. “One Day Away” showcases an up-tempo sound, while “Did My Time” was a track that represented the breakup stage. Pio also described this song as the most challenging to translate into music.
“That one was a bit harder to write. The persona here is a little resentful; may galit (there’s anger). It’s a topic that we haven’t explored before. We’re trying not to act too angry since it’s not the point of the song. The point is seeing the red flags in retrospect after the relationship. The person this song is about — it was hard to translate his problems. Putting it into writing was challenging.”
Meanwhile, “With You” gave us another genre shift as it presents a more toned-down and tender sound without much instrumentation, leaving Pio’s vocals more exposed. We thought it matched the vulnerability of the song well, which the vocalist shared was inspired by an actual love letter. It’s a song that describes the feeling of longing for someone you have already lost and wanting to get back together with them.
Rounding up the album alongside previously released singles “Misbehave” and “Dance with My Mistakes” is “Love on Loop,” which is the ribbon that ties it all together, forming a cohesive storyline of love, heartbreak, and finding the strength and courage to start all over again.
“When we wrote ['Love on Loop], it was not really a point in the story. It’s more of a credit song, the ‘Happily Ever After’ or the beginning of the next story. That’s really what the whole thing is about,” Pio explained.
We also learned an interesting, fun fact about the forthcoming record: how it was actually written within two weeks — nine working days to be exact! When asked how they would describe their music’s evolution from the first album to the next, Pio replied:
“Here, we explored a lot of different recording techniques and workflows. It’s our first time working with a producer for the whole album. It’s a different experience. Yung dating naming album, isang taon naming sinulat. Ito, two weeks lang (We wrote our first album in a year, but this one only took two weeks). In my opinion, it’s a step up from the last album. But I think what hasn’t changed is that 'dimo talaga alam yung genre namin (you still won’t know what our genre is). Every song is a different kind of song. But what has changed is, I guess, the way we’ve been able to construct the songs — the form is much simpler. More digestible.”
“This body of work is the first where we were all in the same room from conception to finishing the songs,” David added. “So we were all onboard and very invested in what we were writing. And we had producers who — you know, their job is to bring out the best in you and cut out your bad ideas. It’s still you, but suddenly you sound 'expensive.'”
And speaking of sounding expensive, it’s noticeable that the band’s second album leans towards a more international vibe, with its entirety written in English. The band had mentioned expanding the scope of their music, but when asked if it had been intentional to make “Love on Loop” an album that caters to a wider musical audience, they answered that it was more of a practical decision.
“The producers we worked with don’t speak Tagalog, and they’re not just there to write music but also there to look at the lyrics and give suggestions,” explained David. “They’re so invested in our music as well that they want to make sure it’s the best. How can they do that if they can’t understand the content?”
Despite this, the band assured that their identity has remained intact and that they’re still a Filipino band first and foremost who want to spread the magic of OPM. The experience of working with a renowned producer has only sharpened their music-making, which has allowed them to create songs more efficiently and with a clearer purpose throughout the process.
“The thing about a great producer is they bring out the best in you. It’s still a hundred percent you, just the best parts of it. So, it doesn’t really change your identity. It’s more like, 'Oh! Finally, I have these things in mind. I didn’t know that I could do this.' All the things that you wanted to do but you didn’t know how, suddenly they can guide you to get to the sound that you want,” David shared.
“We developed a different mindset, like less is more,” Zoe added on how the band has become more discerning of the things that should be included and cut out from a particular song they’re creating.
“Love on Loop” is an example of artistic growth, and Lola Amour just demonstrated how musicians can achieve this by simply exploring what’s out there, experimenting, and riding the wave of creative ideas. Fresh, adventurous, and sincere are three words the band used to describe their new album, but if you were to ask us, we’d say elevated — sonically, emotionally, and creatively. We simply can’t wait to hear the album in its full glory — out on all streaming platforms on Aug. 15.
In the meantime, stay tuned to Lola Amour’s official Facebook, X (Formerly Twitter), TikTok, and Instagram pages for updates on their album drop and upcoming live performances.
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