Although it was a frigid Saturday night in December, that didn’t stop Chicago from showing up and showing out for Jay Som at Lincoln Hall. As the night grew colder, the crowd grew larger until the nearly sold-out show was completely filled with people. The concert certainly offered some respite from the bitter cold with its warm and cozy atmosphere; making for an ideal Saturday night in Lincoln Park.
Jay Som, meaning “Victory Moon,” is the musical project of Melina Duterte, a Los Angeles-based singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer. Though not necessarily a widely known name, Jay Som has been a staple in the contemporary-indie soundscape for over a decade. Duterte made her official debut in 2014 with the track “forget about it kid.” Since then, she has collaborated with some of music’s most recognizable names, establishing herself as a sought-after producer and engineer, as stated in her Spotify biography. In the past, Duterte has worked with artists such as Troye Sivan, Dream Ivory, Vagabon, and No Rome. The band has even toured with Japanese Breakfast and Mitski, both artists who, like Duterte, have Asian roots, which has been hugely influential on their work and personal life experiences. Jay Som and Palehound joined forces in 2021 to create the musical project Bachelor, complete with the album Doomin’ Sun. Jay Som was also featured on the soundtrack for the 2024 film I Saw the TV Glow, alongside artists such as Caroline Polachek, yuele, Bartees Strange, and Sloppy Jane.
Duterte also toured with Boygenius, the supergroup composed of Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, and Julien Baker, as their bassist during the run promoting their sophomore release, The Record. She cites this time with “the boys” as the best of her life. For Dacus’s most recent solo tour, the Forever is a Feeling Tour, Jay Som was also the opener for roughly half of the summer dates. While on tour with Dacus, the band performed songs yet to be released from Belong, an opportunity that many artists do not get to have in front of such an established fanbase. From seeing Jay Som live earlier this past summer, and now, the band has certainly found their groove.
Duterte made a splash in 2016 with the release of their seminal debut album Turn Into. The following year came the sophomore album Everybody Works, and in 2019, Anak Ko, which translates to “My Child” in English from Tagalog. The phrase is one of endearment that her mother would often use. An important part of Duterte’s identity is her Filipino heritage; born to Filipino parents and first-generation immigrants, she grew up surrounded and influenced by music that would ultimately influence her sound, shaping it into what it is today.
After nearly seven years without another album, Jay Som announced that they would be back with their fourth studio album, Belong, released on October 10. However, it’s not that she completely stepped away from music during this time. If anything, she did the opposite. She was on tour, working with other artists, and quietly working to become the person who created Belong. From grappling with identity, love, loss, and the tantalizing passing of time, Belong heralds a Duterte that has matured in the years between now and the release of Anak Ko, not just as a musician, but as a person.
At 8 PM sharp, fanclubwallet, a last-minute addition to the opening slot, took to the stage. Fronted by Hannah Judge, the Ottawa-based band had made the fourteen-hour drive from Canada to be there. Their set included a handful of songs from their latest album, Living While Dying, such as “Do You Hate Me?” “Gears,” and “Me Time.” They also played their 2020 single “Car Crash in G Major,” which has garnered over fifteen million streams on Spotify. The band did an excellent job warming up the crowd, both literally and metaphorically.
Jay Som then took to the stage and opened up their set with “Baybee,” a track that has been described as “lo-fi guitar-pop euphoria.” It was released as the third single from Everybody Works in March 2017. “Baybee” was the perfect opening number, with its hypnotic, melodic bassline, soaring synth, and catchy chord progression.
Duterte was joined on stage by four other musicians. Carey Clayton, who put out three albums this year, Idyll and Idyll II, and with his project Fore Fader, Great Pretender, played guitar to Duterte’s left. On her right, also on guitar, was Joao Gonzalez, who goes by the moniker Soft Glas. He appears as a feature on the track “What You Need.” Standing towards the back of the stage, between Gonzales and Duterte, was bassist Aubrey Situmorang. Lastly, on the drums was Eric Derwallis, who has worked alongside Carey Clayton, Fore Fader, and Soft Glas, among others.
The band immediately laid their cards on the table, demonstrating their masterful musicianship and technical prowess within minutes upon stepping on stage. One can only appreciate the immense skill required to produce such a unique sound in a live setting; the sheer number of guitar pedals on stage was astonishing. Each member of the band played their respective instruments as if they were extensions of themselves, perfectly in tune with each other. It was like watching a complicated, yet beautiful dance, each part vital to the production of a cohesive whole.
Next on the setlist was “Float,” the first song to be released from Belong in early July of this year, alongside “A Million Reasons Why,” “Float” features Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat World. Yet another amazing collaboration that appeared on the setlist was “Past Lives,” which features none other than Miss Paramore herself, Hayley Williams. Duterte has cited both artists as massive inspirations in her own work.
Another highlight of the set was “Want it All,” the final song from Belong to appear on the setlist. The track is punctuated by the same lyrics and delicious, gritty guitar; the band performed bathed in red light. During the bridge, Duterte repeated the lines with growing intensity: “You think you know it all / You think you know it all / I think you wanna say / The thing you wanna say” before the sound swelled, swallowing up everything in the room, and the band launched into a truly impressive instrumental outro. It was dark, intense, and cathartic. As the final track on Belong, “Want It All” captures the heaviness of words unspoken, not offering any sense of solace. “It’s that specific, aching feeling of being trapped by your own ambition, by the fear of what you might become if you actually got what you asked for.” Listeners are left to do nothing but sit and ponder the terrifying silence that comes with wanting.
Throughout the set, Duterte extended her gratitude to the audience. Before the final few songs of the set, she thanked the audience for being so quiet. “I’m not nervous at all,” she said with a chuckle. Concerts aren’t necessarily events associated with quiet, but for this setting in particular, it made perfect sense. The entire audience was entranced as they gave the band their undivided attention, clinging to every word of Dutertes, both sung and spoken, every strum of the guitar, every crash of the drums. It was deeply moving. She also gave a shoutout to the Filipinos in the room, earning finger hearts from members of the crowd, whistles, and cheers. A beautiful reminder of the significance of community in live music and musical spaces.
To close out the brief, but incredibly dense, thirteen-song set, the band played older fan favorites “Tenderness,” “Superbike,” and “Get Well,” all of which appear on Anak Ko. “Get Well” was especially beautiful live, as the distinct, dreamy, fluid-sounding pedal steel guitar, played by Clanton, was at the forefront. The final song of the set, “The Bus Song,” comes from Everybody Works. “Why don’t we take the bus? / You say you don’t like the smell,” Duterte gestured to the crowd for the next line as she stepped away from the microphone: “But I like the bus!” The audience called out. “I can be whoever I want to be,” Duterte sang. By inviting such audience participation, the lines between performance and performer blurred to create something that everyone in the room was a part of, if only for a few fleeting moments.
Clocking in with a runtime of just over thirty minutes, Belong is absolutely packed with hypnotizing guitar riffs, fantastic artist features, layers upon layers of lush instrumentation, and brilliant lyricism. It’s a treat for the ears, an album that is saturated with nostalgia, each track simultaneously sounds intimately familiar, somehow, but contains something indisputably fresh and exciting. Experiencing tracks live from this album is a must. In the summer of 2026, the band will be headed to the United Kingdom with Jimmy Eat World. Though this leg of the tour is over, chances are likely that the band will return to play more shows before then. In 2026, Jay Som is, without a doubt, an artist to keep on your radar.
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