I’m feeling basic today. So, here are some random picks of songs that have piqued my curiosity or have just plain landed well on my ears. They’re all new, and all are good.

Starting with Ena Mori, whose quirky sound has always been the antithesis of what’s going on in Pinoy pop. But here she is willing to fit in (a bit) on her song “19 Underground.” You could say this upbeat, synth-poppy track is Mori’s dance-iest pop yet. But listen closely, some of her quirk may have been dialled down, but her sonic DNA remains intact. This is just one track off her “Ore” EP.

Ace Banzuelo is to synth/alt-pop what Arthur Nery is to neo-soul. It’s no surprise that Banzuelo ‘aces’ another good one (see what I did there) in his new song titled “Hagkan.” Here, Banzuelo’s vocals and falsettos are heavily reverb-drenched, for maximum effect, to get his message across in this slow, moody number where we hear him mournfully a-wanting a love that’s close but yet so far. A guitar weaving in and around a plodding beat is juxtaposed with this fragile-sounding alt-love song.

Arthur Nery is like the musical equivalent of a mild rain. It doesn’t matter how hot the season or what the proverbial trend is, when an Arthur Nery song drops, the vibe immediately cools. Figuratively, of course, as his style is just built that way. So imagine Arthur Nery, mod and relaxed as he is, teaming up with ADIE, who’s equally chill as far as his sound and style go. So that’s exactly what their collaboration song “Paralisado” is all about. This lo-fi number just chills the vibe in a room. It’s not an accident that the beat thrums like a human heartbeat, because Arthur Nery and ADIE want you to slow down and feel this soul-drenched ode about love and blind devotion. Check out the hall-sized echo that drenches their vocal exchange two-thirds of the way, where you don’t know where Nery starts, and Adie ends.

CALEIN has been around for a while now and has built a solid albeit modest niche for themselves with good reason: This band’s brand of melancholy-tinged synth alt-pop never fails to put you in a mood. While the band’s theme revolves around heartbreak or ‘hugot’ based, the whole synth alt-pop ‘CALEIN’ sound just connects and elicits a feeling, which is half the battle. And this description is exactly what their new song “Sa Akin” is all about. For his part, lead vocalist and guitarist JD Mustacho isn’t the best band vocalist out there, but he gets the job done.

On his new single titled “MATIK,” John Roa seems to have found a newfound taste for jangly pop. Here, John’s strengths as a vocalist are put on display, managing to make his stanzas pop with some nifty vocal phrasing. The hook is the melody, as they say, and John’s got us biting in the first few lines. Couple that with the E-heads-like choruses that go: ‘kahit di sabihin / andyan ako kaagad / ang aking pag-ibig / para sa iyo ay otomatik na.’ That’s a perfect driving song for summer for sure.

The Ransom Collective returns with new single “Tongue Tied.” There was a time when this band was poised to be the biggest in the scene; they were Ben & Ben before there was the latter. Then they slipped away for reasons unknown. This catchy bossa-tinged gem is a reminder of why The Ransom Collective was, excuse my French, the sh*t of their time. Good that they’re back.