Lola Amour's self-titled album: a track-by-track guide

Lola Amour didn't see it coming, but their song 'Raining in Manila' would change their lives forever.

It was a monumental leap, one that took the Filipino funk-pop act onto the playlists of the biggest artists across the globe and up on the biggest stages in the country. The song was so big that the band even made the decision to pivot, scrap, and rework the album they'd been working on in the studio. Whatever they came up with for their debut record had to be at par with 'Raining in Manila', and inevitably after a little over five years, they finally dropped their self-titled album for the world to take in on a hot summer day.

Read on as Lola Amour share stories, mishaps, and trivia behind the tracks off their eponymous record and more.

'Umiinit'

Jeff, Ray, and David let their intrusive thoughts win while recording the back-up vocals for this song. We played the song and they did whatever they wanted to do for the back up vocals.

Additional fun fact: if you listen closely to the song, after Pio sings “wag ka munang mahiya” you will hear giggles and Jeff saying “onii-chan” in an anime voice.

'Saan Kakapit'

While recording Pio's guitar part (which plays over Zoe's solo) we had such a hard time getting it right because it was very late, and we were tired from recording the entire day. After 45 minutes of troubleshooting, we ended up playing the part at half-speed and doubling it with delay. We got home at 2 a.m. that day.

'Namimiss Ko Na'

Jeff, Ray, and David sang the back-up vocals for the song but were having trouble getting the attitude of the vocals right. This was solved by the three making dance moves to go with the lyrics, which made the vocals have the proper sass and energy that the song needed.

'This Ain't Love'

Originally we were having trouble getting the right drum sound for this song. Rene Serna (our recording engineer) said “yung snare… kailangan… mabait lang siya” so he changed the snare. Thanks to the change and Raffy’s light touch, we got the right sound for the song.

'Raining in Manila'

When Manu was recording the high trumpet parts, his recorded tracks sounded like a trumpet + someone blowing bubbles through a straw. It turned out that Manu’s trumpet was full of "water" and he had to drain it all before it sounded normal again.

'I'll Give My Heart'

Fun fact: this song features Pio playing the flute and harmonica.

'If I Ever Come Back'

This song features Ray, Jeff, Raffy, and David singing 128 tracks to create the choir that’s heard behind Pio’s vocals near the end of the song.

Additional fun fact: we actually went over the track limit in our software and had to do some post-prod to make all the tracks fit.

'Lost For Words'

This song features Zoe playing the acoustic guitar for the first time in our discography. Since he wasn’t used to being mic’d up, a lot of takes had to be scrapped because he was laughing, talking, or tapping on the guitar. Even the final take needed some post-prod magic (c/o David) to be usable.

Additional fun fact: When Mesina recorded his parts, he had 8 full hours of sleep and recorded almost everything in one take.

'Part II: Bliss'

While recording the crazy guitar parts near the end of the song, sir Rene grabbed Pio’s guitar out of his hands and shoved them into the studio speakers to get the crazy feedback sound in the end. Additional fun fact: David plays the viola multiple times to get the “string quartet” sound in the middle part of the song.

Lola Amour are slated to celebrate the release of their self-titled album a second time, happening at Draft Punk in Cebu on 27 April 2024.

Stream the album below.