“Sid & Aya” stands its ground against foreign box-office juggernauts this week and even the soundtrack of this Pinoy film is in fighting form. Janine Teñoso The movie has its moments and the featured songs certainly enhanced those. It steered clear of schmaltzy ballads and instead, turned to alternative pop-tinged originals and a remake here and there. First up is “Di Na Muli” by Janine Teñoso. It’s a soulful cover of the 2016 Philpop winning song written by the Itchyworms’ Jazz Nicolas. The other cover on the OST is “Darkness Fell” by The Juans. This classic Pinoy rock ballad is an original by local metal gods Wolfgang. The Juans Both are exceptional covers, but we've reserved our praises for the original songs starting with “When I See You” by Jem Cubil. Written by Len Calvo, this acoustic guitar-strewn alternative song recals a favorite of ours, particularly Iron & Wine, what with those arpeggiated steel string patterns and that breathy but deep-toned singing. Andrea Babierra and Jem Cubil (Photo by Manny Llanes/Manila Bulletin) But in our opinion, the best track on this five song digital release (the original version of “Di Na Muli” is here as well), is “Heartbeats.” Written and originally recorded by Alessandra De Rossi from her album “Derealization,” this song is re-recorded for the movie by Andrea Babierra and Jem Cubil. The slow piano riff, the breathy, singing-cum-chant is hypnotic and encapsulates the mood of the story. It’s a melancholic, out-of-the-ordinary love song for an unconventional love story. Jem and Andrea already scored a hit with “The Morning After” from “Meet Me In St. Gallen” and it could be that they aced another one with “Heartbeats.”