Six years on from '
Anak Ko',
Jay Som’s Melina Duterte returns with '
Belong': a confident, quietly bold indie-rock album shaped by distance, reinvention and a whole lot of studio hours.
In the years since her last release, Duterte has been everywhere but centre stage – producing Grammy-winning records, touring with boygenius, and rebuilding her relationship with music behind the mixing desk. That time away wasn’t just a break; it was a recalibration. 'Belong' is the result: a record that opens itself up, lets others in, and still sounds entirely like her.
Opener '
Cards On The Table' is playful and layered, with vocals that glide over warped electronics. '
Float', featuring Jimmy Eat World's Jim Adkins, leans into crunchy, melodic alt-rock with real ease, while '
Past Lives', with Hayley Williams, goes big on emotion and even bigger on guitars. Both collaborations feel purposeful, not performative – real creative chemistry, not just names on a tracklist.
There’s contrast throughout. '
Appointments' is a delicate, open-hearted highlight. '
Casino Stars' is quirky and offbeat. '
What You Need' and '
Drop A' sit somewhere in between – polished, charming and quietly infectious.
