2 days ago
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From the alt-pop of Tingin, Cup of Joe goes into the sweetly intriguing Misteryoso. And then from out of the blue, these boys drop Wag Na Lang as a single. This one is a rocking love song. I hear echoes of The Dawn but fun, with a tongue-in-cheek attitude. This one comes from the band’s Patutunguhan EP. It was released in reply to requests from the many Jowahs around who just love to see Cup of Joe rock.
It is the summer break. The boys of Cup of Joe (COJ) are out of school. And it looks like the lads from Baguio are at their most relaxed ever these days. They seem to have accepted the fact that they are now pop stars and have settled into lives as such. I say this because I hear and feel a kind of serenity, an underlying tone of contentment in their music for their recent release Misteryoso.
This is a simple love song about a girl’s mysterious ways composed by the band’s co-lead vocalist Gian Bernardino. Misteryoso was written for the “…natatanging kagandahang nababalot ng hiwagang humalina sa akin, kahit na ika’y hindi ko maintindihan....” I know it is makata language but the mood is lush and playful. I say it harks back to Cup of Joe’s early days, most notably with the Yuletide love song, Alas Dose.
Also evident is the fact that COJ is turning out to be the most versatile among the younger bands around these days. Misteryoso is a kind of breather between the waker-upper Tingin and the anthemic Wag Na Lang, which dropped only a few days ago. An encouragement song, Tingin, is a collab with Janine Tenoso of Di Na Muli fame. It is Cup of Joe’s biggest seller to date. That means going on to 200 million streams.
So, from the alt-pop of Tingin, Cup of Joe went into the sweetly intriguing Misteryoso. And then from out of the blue, these boys dropped Wag Na Lang as a single. This one is a rocking love song. I hear echoes of The Dawn but fun, with a tongue-in-cheek attitude. This one comes from the band’s Patutunguhan EP from a year ago. It was released in reply to requests from the many Jowahs around who just love to see Cup of Joe rock.
Patutunguhan also includes Tingin, Tataya, Estranghero, Mananatili and the title track. It presents the different aspects of Cup of Joe. Rockers with a touch of do-wop or R&B or something else. Are they still in search of that signature sound? Are they still feeling their way around? Or will it always be like this. Unpredictable tunes that say that these boys can do anything. Not bad, as they keep the Jowahs guessing. Makes me wonder what their next single will be.
By the way, Raphael Ridao is the other co-vocalist of COJ. CJ Fernandez and Gab Fernandez play guitars. Xen Gareza is on keyboards. Raphael Severino is the bassist. They are all the co-producers of Misteryoso.
One more thing. The members of the Cup of Joe fandom are known as Jowahs.
Meanwhile as this month of June comes to a close, here are the hit songs by which we will always remember the first half of 2024.
Salamin, Salamin by BINI; Dilaw by Maki; Pantropiko by BINI; Please, Please, Please by Sabrina Carpenter; Birds of a Feather by Billie Eilish; Karera by BINI; Espresso by Sabrina Carpenter; Palagi by TJ Monterde; Walang Alam by Hev Abi; Labi by BINI; Babaero by gins&melodies and Hev Abi; This na Malambing by Ryannah Nateman; Burgis by Flow G and Hev Abi.
MILLION DOLLAR BABY by Tommy Richman; Take All The Love by Arthur Neri; Alam Mo Ba by Hev Abi; we can’t be friends (wait for your love) by Ariana Grande; Makasarili, Malambing by Kristina Dawn and Hev Abi; Tadhana by UDD; Na Na Na by BINI; Kunan Mong Pic by OSIDE MAFIA, BRGR and Al James; Saan? by Maki; ‘Wag Na by Realest CRan CKYG; Tingin by Cup Of Joe and Janine Tenoso; and Bugoy na Koykoy by Young Blood Neet.
