If you had to turn youthful optimism and bright-eyed fearlessness into melodies, you’d get a song by Lola Amour. 

Latent with smooth sax and rhythmic drums, the Filipino funk-rock band’s music beautifully encapsulates that moment where you feel like you can conquer whatever the world throws at you even if you’re absolutely terrified.

In short, the indie outfit has a way of capturing the beauty of being young. Maybe it’s the fact they’ve been friends since high school or their relatable stories that hit way too close to home. Lola Amour’s music reminds us of simpler days and sweeter nights. 

Intentional, authentic, and constantly evolving, the band’s small but powerful discography stems from their own personal experiences and adventures. 

Whether it’s the pains of unrequited love or the butterflies of a new budding romance, the ‘Pwede Ba’ act translates life’s most bitter and sweet moments into a soothing melody that you can’t help but tap your feet to. 

“We write music from our experiences. It’s usually very personal and, therefore, has one exact meaning for the writer,” says bassist Raymond King. “The beautiful thing about music is that the listener is free to give the song its own meaning based on what they’ve experienced. So, I guess, we want others to realize that they are not alone.”

“We want our music to help people grow and understand that their experiences are real, that their emotions are valid, and that other people may be going similar if not the same thing.”

Through the years, Lola Amour have released an array of tracks that have resonated deeply with listeners all over the region. One of which is their 2017 single 'Pwede Ba', which till this day is one of the band's most popular works. 

“Sometimes, it takes years to complete a song but, other times, it could also take a few minutes. 'Pwede Ba' is an example of one that leans towards the latter," shares Raymond. 

"That, paired with the fact that the song is about wanting to delay something that is imminent, only reinforces how close the song rides on the universal fear of confrontation.  Without overthinking, our vocalist, Pio Dumayas, was able to contextualize a feeling that almost everyone has felt at some point in their lives. It’s simple and it speaks the truth."

Whether you're listening to 'Pwede Ba' or their recent breakup single 'Fallen', you can tell that the band puts in a lot of thought and care into the music they share with the world.

With seven members, their creative process often run the risk of being chaotic but united by one simple philosophy, Lola Amour have become masters of their craft, releasing music that they can be immensely proud of.

"What I can say for sure is, we always want to be better than yesterday."

"We want constant improvement. This doesn't necessarily mean more complex songs or “deeper” lyrics or something along those lines. It could be as simple as the delivery, the space created, or even the message of the song both lyrically and sonically," says Raymond. 

"In other words, we simply want our art to be something we could be proud of. I mean, if we weren’t proud of our songs, how could we even think of sharing it with the world."

In fact, their creative process is one of the many things that the seven-piece enjoy most about being in a band. While no one really gets to see the process and legwork behind the magic of Lola Amour, it's an essential pillar that members hold dear to their hearts. 

"Though we may have our faults, I’d like to think that we function like a machine. We, including our manager Mika, have our own roles to ensure that the band stays grounded and to assure that we are still heading in the direction we want to go. I mean, yeah, it's fun to be in a band but we can’t forget about our goals," shares Raymond. 

Having spent over half a decade together, the 'No Tomorrow' act have gone through several changes. Growing up in more ways than one, Lola Amour have evolved way beyond the measly high school band they were five years ago. 

"In the beginning, we kept to ourselves – not because we were snobs but because we were shy. We really didn’t know what to talk about and we were afraid of what other people would think about us," Raymond reminisces. 

"Eventually, not only did we get to socialize, but we also learned a lot from every person we met along the way. As bandmates as well, we learned how to communicate with each other better and adjust to each other’s preferences, schedules, and emotions."

The band first came together in 2016 and initially comprised Pio (vocals, guitar), Raymond (bass), Zoe Gonzales (guitar), Angelo Mesina (trumpet), Joxx Perez (sax), Renzo Santos (drums) and Martin Kim (keys). 

But an untimely pandemic and several lockdowns later, the band went through a change in members, bidding farewell to Martin who has settled back in Korea in 2020 and now, welcoming David Yuhico (keys) – a long-time friend and collaborator. 

With a new member and a fresh perspective on life and music, Lola Amour are en route to release their latest EP, The Lunchtime Special. 

Taking inspiration from the very lunch breaks that formed the band, the upcoming record revolves around the various contexts of "breaks". Diving into three different stories –  "one about a break about to end, another about a break to be desired, and the last about a break to be", the three-track EP sees the ‘Maybe Maybe’ act like never before. 

"It's definitely better than anything we’ve done before," says Raymond. 

THE LUNCHTIME SPECIAL EP

The First Song of our 3-Track EP called “The Lunchtime Special” will be out on November 12! 🍎🥛 Save the date! 🗓

Last 2 tracks coming soon 👀

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Huge thank you to Twofold Media and Warner Music fam for making these possible 😎 pic.twitter.com/VaHa9sxbVK

— Lola Amour #LolaClaraCTB Nov 12 (@lolaamourmusic) November 2, 2021

The Lunchtime Special serves as Lola Amour's first release since entering a new chapter as a band. The last two years have brought a myriad of changes, some that they never even expected, but regardless of it all, they're taking every obstacle head-on together. 

"We had to write the songs as a group in our individual homes. With this setup, asking a person to change one chord would take so much effort. This was definitely a lot harder and took a lot longer than usual but on the bright side, every inch of the record is well thought of. Everything has its place," Raymond on the production of the EP. 

"We migrated our songwriting process online, which helped us figure out the sound that we really liked, both on our own instruments and as a group. In the end, we figured out how to fit our ideas together for every track without the need to meet up in person," adds Renzo. 

As the first taste of The Lunchtime Special, Lola Amour recently released 'Closer Than Before' featuring fellow singer-songwriter Clara Benin. Having been in the vault for almost as long as the band has existed, the hopeful single took a while to become the track we know today. 

"I’ve always thought it wasn’t good enough. Even if the rest of the band kept pushing to work on this song, I would never be happy with the outcome," shares Raymond. 

"Now, after improving musically, both as an individual and as a group, and after having our newest member, David, give his fresh ideas, I can finally say the song's message is packaged the way I envisioned it to be. It’s finally something I’m proud of."

Serving as the launchpad for the greatness that The Lunchtime Special is slated to be, 'Closer Than Before' sees Lola Amour's storytelling and artistry in its purest form. 

"Lyrically, the song talks about a couple’s rekindling relationship. That being said, it can be presumed that the couple had a past. So, the song tries to illustrate the emotions brought up by trying to repair a relationship that had ended vaguely while still being hopeful that something good could come out of it all," says Raymond. 

A few shots of the people behind our Closer Than Before MV ❤️

Incredibly thankful for Twofold Media!
Check out the MV here: https://t.co/3WfH54b5SG pic.twitter.com/qOMS18DEge

— Lola Amour #LolaClaraCTB Nov 12 (@lolaamourmusic) November 23, 2021

"Sonically, I can say that the entire song is a build-up. Starts off soft and ends strong. Kind of like what we would feel if we would jump into anything that scares us. First off, we wouldn’t know what would happen. Everything is a mystery, and as it ends, the picture becomes clearer and clearer."

Lola Amour's The Lunchtime Special will drop in early 2022. While we wait, listen to 'Closer Than Before' here.