Inside ‘AFTER OURS:’ ALYSON’s boldest, most heartfelt city pop reinvention yet

As Filipino city pop band ALYSON releases their sophomore album “AFTER OURS,” the band embraces a richer, more vulnerable sound shaped by nostalgia, longing, and the emotional aftermath of love.

You hear it before you know who made it.

A song slips through your headphones while scrolling through a fan edit at 2 AM. Maybe it’s attached to a grainy montage of city lights, a heartbreak scene, or two characters almost confessing their feelings. 

The bassline feels warm, the synths glow softly beneath the vocals, and suddenly the comment section is filled with the same question: “Anong kanta ‘to?”

Then eventually, you see them—five guys in coordinated blue suits carrying an old-soul coolness that feels untouched by trends. “Ah, sila pala ‘yon!”

That quiet familiarity has become part of the charm of ALYSON, the rising Quezon City-based five-piece made up of vocalist and rhythm guitarist Pio Ligot, lead guitarist Luis Uy, drummer and producer Marcus Mababangloob, bassist Miguel Erfe, and keyboardist Easel Manes. 

Known for tracks like “Feels So Good” and “Kiliti,” the band built a growing audience through their nostalgic yet refreshingly modern take on Japanese city pop, jazz-funk, and OPM.

But with their sophomore album “AFTER OURS,” arriving on May 22, ALYSON is stepping into something deeper, more expansive, and emotionally riskier than ever before.

‘AFTER OURS’ chooses emotion over modern noise

At a time when many artists lean toward futuristic production and fast-moving digital sounds, ALYSON deliberately moved in the opposite direction.

“AFTER OURS” embraces warmth, patience, and live instrumentation. Inspired by Japanese city pop, Brazilian funk, Motown, Philly soul, ‘70s-inspired OPM, jazz, and Manila Sound, the album unfolds like one complete emotional journey instead of a collection of disconnected singles.

While their debut album “Definitely Love!” lived in the thrill of romance and escapism, “AFTER OURS” focuses on what remains after feelings settle in—the longing, uncertainty, temptation, and emotional aftermath people rarely talk about once the excitement fades.

Pio Ligot describes the record as a reflection of what remains “after love lingers longer,” while Marcus Mababangloob shares that the album “mirrors the band’s own growth and maturity as musicians.” That emotional evolution is heard across tracks like “Ikaw Lagi,” “Landi,” “Bighani,” and “Kung Sakaling Tanawin,” where the songwriting feels more vulnerable and unguarded than anything they have released before.

Rather than rushing the process, much of the album was written and rehearsed nearly a year before recording. Several songs were captured live or through large ensemble takes to preserve the chemistry between members, a decision that gives the record its organic and deeply human texture.

A city pop album with a heartbeat

The emotional scale of “AFTER OURS” becomes even bigger through ALYSON’s collaboration with orchestral arranger and trumpeter David Jorvina, whose lush horn and string arrangements elevate the album into something cinematic without losing its intimacy.

One of the record’s standout moments comes through “Talaga,” their collaboration with Filipino artist Paprikka. Imagined as a classic city pop duet inspired by vintage anime romances, the track perfectly captures the album’s balance between nostalgia and sincerity.

Even its finishing touches reflect the band’s dedication to the genre that shaped them. The album was mastered in Tokyo by engineer Eiji Hirano, known for work with Japanese act Ryusenkei, adding another layer of authenticity to the project’s city pop influences.

Signed under Offshore Music, the label headed by OPM icon Ely Buendia, ALYSON is proving that honoring the past does not mean staying stuck in it.

With “AFTER OURS,” the band isn’t simply recreating retro sounds for nostalgia’s sake. They are turning old influences into something emotionally immediate, an album that feels timeless enough to accidentally discover online, yet personal enough to stay with you long after the song ends.

“AFTER OURS” is dropping this Friday, May 22 on all streaming platforms via Offshore Music PH. 

 

 

With their sophomore album “AFTER OURS,” arriving on May 22, ALYSON is stepping into something deeper, more expansive, and emotionally riskier than ever before.

 

 

READ: