Three years after the release of Whatever That Was, She’s Only Sixteen regroups under the most untenable circumstances to release their long-awaited follow-up, The Other Side, out Friday, November 27, 2020 at 8:00 PM GMT+08.
Marked with several firsts, the five-track EP broaches a wider sound spectrum, most evident in dance- and funk-infused lead single “Broken Glass” and “Wake Up.” The rest departs from the near-melancholia and sprawling guitar-drivenness of Whatever That Was, favoring resigned, but optimistic adaptation: both to circumstance and the natural order of things. “We aren’t the young guns that we used to be in college and our early 20s. Life is moving faster than we have ever seen and I guess this is a collective reflection of all of us. We continuously grow up together and this EP just shows that. It’s nice to note that as we do get older, we are even more prone to trying out new things,” reflects vocalist Roberto Seña.
On making music during a largely silent, grief-stricken year: “Thematically, the EP is about life under this very odd year, whether you’re with loved ones or if you’re going at it alone. It’s a reflection piece right before you get to see what’s next. As challenging as it sounds to make music at this time, we have never been more efficient and more goal-oriented when it came to finishing the work.”
The band also split songwriting duties for the first time. Seña (the sole songwriter for Whatever That Was) wrote “Broken Glass” and “Just A Bit Of Rain” and co-wrote “Wake Up” with Andrew Panopio. Both releasing material under their respective solo projects The Relax and crwn this year, Andrew Panopio wrote the other pre-release single “Good Company” (which features guest vocals by neo-soul singer-songwriter August Wahh), while King Puentespina penned “Ghost.” Production duties were shared by Seña and Puentespina, with additional piano and Rhodes by RJ Pineda (“Just A Bit Of Rain”), done mostly by file-sharing and constant back-and-forth online, only meeting in person for final touches or vocal sessions. Marketing direction and other duties were handled by Anjo Silvoza.
The band’s first fully self-produced record was mixed and mastered by JP Del Mundo (60NICE) in New Jersey, and executive produced by Roy Macasaet and She’s Only Sixteen.
The Other Side is available on release date on digital platforms everywhere via Party Bear Records. The band is set to perform on a virtual showcase at Bangkok Music City (Thailand) on November 28 at 9:50 PM GMT+08.
She’s Only Sixteen is on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
ADVT.