Dream pop songwriter Melina Duterte, aka Jay Som, is returning soon with a new album. Anak Ko, which is Filipino for “My Child”, arrives on shelves August 23rd through Polyvinyl.
The forthcoming effort serves as Duterte’s second overall and follow-up to 2017’s acclaimed Everybody Works. It came to fruition during a seven-day solo retreat to Joshua Tree, but was later finalized in her new home base of Los Angeles.
Written, produced, and engineered entirely by Duterte, Anak Ko was inspired by a text message from the indie artist’s own mother, which read, “Hi anak ko, I love you anak ko.”
(Read: The Top 50 Albums of 2017)
“It’s an endearing thing to say, it feels comfortable,” Duterte commented in a statement. The concept of care, and with it patience and kindness, also plays a major role throughout the new album,
“In order to change, you’ve got to make so many mistakes. What’s helped me is forcing myself to be even more peaceful and kind with myself and others. You can get so caught up in attention, and the monetary value of being a musician, that you can forget to be humble. You can learn more from humility than the flashy stuff. I want kindness in my life. Kindness is the most important thing for this job, and empathy.”
Not only was Duterte assisted on the LP by her bandmates, but also a few special guest musicians. Vagabon’s Laetitia Tamko and Chastity Belt’s Annie Truscott lent a hand, as did Justus Proffit and Boy Scouts’ Taylor Vick.
As an early look at Anak Ko, Duterte is revealing “Superbike”, which she said channels “Cocteau Twins and Alanis Morissette letting loose over swirling shoegaze.” “I came up with the vocal melody while chopping onions during a rare snowstorm in Joshua Tree, definitely one of my favorite memories from making the album.”
Check it out below.
Anak Ko Artwork:
Anak Ko Tracklist:
01. If You Want It
02. Superbike
03. Peace Out
04. Devotion
05. Nighttime Drive
06. Tenderness
07. Anak Ko
08. Crown
09. Get Well
Duterte will support the new LP with an extensive fall tour across North America, the UK, and Europe. Tickets go on sale Friday, June 7th and can be purchased here.
Jay Som 2019 Tour Dates:
07/20 – Chicago, IL @ Pitchfork Music Festival
09/11 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Rebel Lounge
09/12 – San Diego, CA @ The Irenic
09/13 – Los Angeles, CA @ Echoplex
09/14 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
09/17 – Vancouver, BC @ Imperial
09/18 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos
09/19 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
09/20 – Boise, ID @ Neurolux
09/21 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
09/24 – Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge
09/26 – Dallas, TX @ Club Dada
09/27 – Austin, TX @ Barracuda
09/28 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall
10/15 – Lawrence, KS @ Granada
10/16 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry
10/17 – Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon
10/18 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
10/19 – Columbus, OH @ The Basement
10/21 – Detroit, MI @ El Club
10/22 – Toronto, ON @ Velvet Underground
10/23 – Montreal, QC @ Bar Le Ritz PDB
10/25 – Brooklyn, NY @ Elsewhere
10/26 – Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair
10/27 – Burlington, VT @ ArtsRiot
10/29 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Foundry
10/30 – Washington, DC @ Rock and Roll Hotel
10/31 – Raleigh, NC @ Kings
11/01 – Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade
11/02 – Nashville, TN @ The High Watt
11/07 – Hamburg, DE @ Molotow
11/09 – Stockholm, SE @ Bar Brooklyn
11/10 – Copenhagen, DK @ Ideal Bar
11/12 – Berlin, DE @ Kantine am Berghain
11/15 – Paris, FR @ Supersonic
11/16 – Brussels, BE @ Botanique
11/17 – Amsterdam, NL @ Bitterzoet
11/19 – Brighton, UK @ Patterns
11/20 – London, UK @ The Garage
11/21 – Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club
11/22 – Bristol, UK @ Exchange
11/24 – Manchester, UK @ YES
11/25 – Nottingham, UK @ Bodega Social Club
11/26 – Glasgow, UK @ Stereo
11/27 – Dublin, IE @ The Workmans Club