Jay Som Announces First Album in Six Years, Belong

It’d been six years since we last got an album from Jay Som, the project of Melinda Duterte. Since we named Everybody Works the #1 album of 2017, she’s kept busy, releasing Anak Ko in 2019 and producing albums such as Chris Farren’s Doom Singer, Lucy Dacus’ Forever is a Feeling, and boygenius’ the record. She even joined the latter band as a touring member in 2023. Thankfully, we won’t have to wait longer for a new Jay Som record.

Belong, Duterte’s next album as Jay Som, is set for release on October 10 via Polyvinyl. This record marks a big first for Duterte, as she introduces guest vocalists for the first time: Paramore’s Hayley Williams, Jimmy Eat World’s Jim Adkins, and Lexi Vega of Mini Trees. The LP also features collaborations from Soft Glas’ Joao Gonzalez, Mal Hauser, Steph Marziano, and Kyle Pulley.

With the announcement of her forthcoming record, Duterte has shared two singles: “Float” and “A Million Reasons Why.” The latter is a downtempo, R&B-infused psych-pop track reminiscent of Frank Ocean. Meanwhile, “Float” features the Jimmy Eat World frontman, a track that lives up to its name with ebullient instrumentals over a pop punk-inspired melody, as Duterte tells herself to “float, don’t fight.” She described it as a song being about “desperately trying to hold on to past versions of yourself for self-preservation. The fear of the unknown is so overwhelming that sometimes the best solution is to sit with it instead of fighting or running from it.”

Adkins also shared praise for Duterte’s vision, saying that she is “an absolute professional in all aspects of music creation.” He added that he is “honored she had space in her vision for me to contribute, and it was a lot of fun to work on.”