Welcome to Songs You Need to Know, our weekly rundown of the best music right now. The Rolling Stone Philippines team is constantly sharing things to listen to, and each week, we compile a ragtag playlist of songs that we believe every music fan today needs to know. Whether it’s the hottest new single or an old track that captures the state of the present, our hope is that you discover something for your musical canon.
The week’s songs include songs like queer pop trio MUNA creating a sexy anthem in “Eastside Girls,” syd hartha and Toneejay teaming up together for a beach side folk collaboration in “Dito Muna Tayo,” Jack Antonoff’s very own Bleachers creating another signature dreamy single “you and forever,” and the charming noise barrage of experimental rock band Goon Lagoon’s “Basketball.”
K-pop boy group takes on house
Troye Sivan has been a strong influence on K-pop for a decade now, with BTS’s Jung Kook and RM covering his song “FOOLS” back in 2015. Now, boy group ZEROBASEONE has just released their latest mini-album Ascend-, and one of its tracks, “Exotic,” seems to have taken notes from Sivan’s “Rush,” energetic and set on a house beat. However rich with 808s and synths, ZEROBASEONE avoids veering into pastiche by keeping its production sleek and clean. —Pie Gonzaga
Play some B-Ball with a dose of noise
As a longtime listener of experimental rock band Goon Lagoon, it’s tricky to pin down what they sound like. But after several attempts at deciphering the riffs or picturing the situations they paint themselves in their songs, “Basketball,” the final track of their masterfully written, sophomore self-titled EP, personifies their humanity: playing the nation’s favorite sport after an onslaught of fuzzy, car-crash‑like snare drops, and vocalist Bea Inon’s herculean task to resurface from the sea of noise via her melodic singing.
Goon Lagoon’s “Basketball” acts as a centerpiece of their EP, and even without it, there are so many standout tracks that define their sound. This is an alternative rock group of misfits who aim to turn every knob on your house amplifier to a mythical level of 11. —Elijah Pareño
Raunchy pop for lesbians
Queer pop band MUNA knows that it excels in making synth-pop music about being unabashedly lesbian. And while this kind of sound is — I hate to admit this — getting a little old for them, Katie Gavin, Naomi McPherson, and Josette Maskin still manage to surprise and delight every once in a while with something sexy, like “Eastside Girls.” The track, which comes third in their latest album Dancing On The Wall, is unabashedly horny, charged with a thumping beat that slaps like latex on skin and synths that shimmer like black glitter. “They want me on all fours, Eastside girls,” Gavin sings. —Pie Gonzaga
When two of folk’s different worlds collide
Singer-songwriters syd hartha and Toneejay had been teasing a collaboration ever since syd’s Minsan Live at the Skydome performance, where she invited the “711” singer onstage to sing with her on a then‑unreleased track last April 18. Now titled “Dito Muna Tayo,” the song proves that both artists — despite their different folk‑songwriting styles — can meet in the same orbit.
In the track, syd takes a noticeable melodic lead, addressing a lover she’s willing to wait for, while Toneejay’s vocal flips and lines about a light that shines in the darkness. By the end, both singers share the mic and blend their sweet harmonies effectively. Two different songwriters, two approaches, meeting at the crossroads to sing about a universal feeling: a lover’s return, no matter how much time passes. —Elijah Pareño
Blissful, dreamy rock from a pop hitmaker
With their seventh studio album, everyone for ten minutes, coming out on May 22, the Jack Antonoff-led rock band Bleachers kicked off its single rollout with “you and forever” in February, accompanied by a music video featuring actress (and Antonoff’s wife) Margaret Qualley. It has all the qualities of a Bleachers production, roomy, dreamy, and raw, accented by saxophones. The bridge leading to the track’s outro is explosive and discordant (“No Jesus Christ, no Roman gods, they cower at you, let me in”), a cathartic conclusion to the pensive, lovesick verses. —Pie Gonzaga
A techno essential for all partygoers
Considered as a timeless classic by electronic music aficionados and a pillar of party music for casual listeners, Jeff Mills’ “The Bells” serves as a motif for his iconic Live at the Liquid Room Tokyo mix, which chisels through more than 36 tracks in under an hour. With contemporaries like the Belleville Three defining the genre, “The Wizard” — as he’s called by friends and Detroit scenesters — has unequivocally mastered the form.
“The Bells” is driven by pummeling subs, jittering hi‑hats, and rhythmic synthesizers that act like neuron activators for dancers and partygoers across the planet. When those digitized kicks hit through a real sound system, be prepared for your soul to exit your human shell. —Elijah Pareño
ZEROBASEONE’s new song “Exotic” is an energetic, house-beat-driven track from their mini-album Ascend-. Heavily influenced by Troye Sivan’s sleek pop production style, the song masterfully balances vibrant 808 basslines and rich synthesizers while maintaining a clean, modern, and highly polished K-pop sound.
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“Dito Muna Tayo” is a collaborative folk single performed by Filipino singer-songwriters syd hartha and Toneejay. The track beautifully blends their distinct songwriting styles, combining syd hartha’s melodic leads with Toneejay’s signature vocal flips to create sweet harmonies centered around the universal theme of a lover’s return.
“Basketball” by Goon Lagoon is an experimental alternative rock song. Serving as the final centerpiece track of their self-titled sophomore EP, the song features a unique blend of fuzzy, chaotic snare drops, intricate guitar riffs, and melodic vocals that anchor the band’s signature “sea of noise” aesthetic.
The new Bleachers album, titled everyone for ten minutes, is scheduled for release on May 22. The Jack Antonoff-led band kicked off the album rollout with the dreamy, saxophone-accented lead single “you and forever,” which features an explosive, cathartic outro and an accompanying music video.
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“The Bells” by Jeff Mills is considered a foundational techno classic due to its masterful production, featuring pummeling sub-bass, jittering hi-hats, and rhythmic synthesizers. It serves as the defining centerpiece of his iconic Live at the Liquid Room Tokyo mix and remains a global electronic music staple.
