There are albums that soundtrack a particular moment in life, and there are albums that linger long even after the music fades.
With AFTER OURS, Filipino city pop collective ALYSON delivers the latter: a richly layered, emotionally expansive sophomore record that positions the young band among the most promising torchbearers of modern OPM.
Set for release on May 22, 2026 via Offshore Music, AFTER OURS embraces the acclaimed warmth and exuberance of their debut album, Definitely Love!, but with more sophisticated music direction and more polished songwriting. Where their first record revels in romantic escapism at its brightest and most immediate, AFTER OURS explores what remains after the thrill settles: the aftermath of intimacy, longing, temptation, emotional reckoning, uncertainty, and the complication that life and love bring.
Deeply inspired by Japanese city pop, jazz, Brazilian funk, Motown, Philly soul, ‘70s-inspired OPM, and Manila Sound, ALYSON refines their songwriting and sonic ambition across the album’s carefully sequenced body of work. The result is cinematic but eloquently relatable, an album designed not as a collection of singles but as a cohesive emotional journey with organized madness in terms of structure and form.
“AFTER OURS is what happens after love lingers longer, when the fire starts burning through and you’re left with embers,” shares lyricist and vocalist Pio Ligot. “It dives deeper into themes of yearning, temptation, and a struggle for stability. Even the name is a play on what happens after hours when the party and fun are over and you’re just left to your thoughts. In a way, it’s our presentation of maturing from the honeymoon phase to a bit more realistic experience of how love is and how it can be.”
For bassist and producer Marcus Mababangloob, the album mirrors ALYSON’s growth as a creative unit. “The vibe of the album also reflects where we are as a band. In Definitely Love!, our debut album, there was an excitement that could barely be contained, a charm to the roughness of our expression. We wanted to show the world who we are. AFTER OURS is a step forward in maturing as artists. The music has matured, and we know ourselves way better than we did a couple of years ago. This album is a more put-together expression of that.”
Their maturity resonates throughout the album’s production, approaching the project with elaborate care and old-school discipline, writing and rehearsing much of the material nearly a year before formally recording. Many of the tracks were captured live or in large ensemble sections, minimizing overdubs in favor of preserving the organic ebb and flow of performance.
Collaborating closely with orchestral arranger and trumpeter David Jorvina, ALYSON expanded their sonic palette with ornate horn and string arrangements that elevate the record’s emotional scale.
“We wanted the music to ebb and flow depending on the emotions of the song, so we needed to capture it in a more organic way that a metronome would’ve gotten in the way of,” shares Marcus. “It’s all a very old-school way of working, but it’s a crucial step in emulating and paying homage to how our favorite albums were recorded back in the day. We’ve been developing this way of working for a long time, and we wanted to prove that methods such as live recording aren’t just a compromise. It’s an intentional aesthetic choice that contributes largely to the sound.”
The album also features a standout collaboration with Filipino artist Paprikka on the track “Talaga,” envisioned as a classic city pop duet inspired by the theatrical largesse of vintage anime romances. Elsewhere, songs like “Ikaw Lagi,” “Landi,” “Bighani,” and “Kung Sakaling Tanawin” showcase ALYSON at their most adventurous: uncompromisingly unguarded and rhythmically daring this time around.
Notably, AFTER OURS was mastered in Tokyo by acclaimed engineer Eiji Hirano, known for his work with revered Japanese acts such as Ryusenkei, lending the record layers of sonic depth and direct lineage to the music that inspired its creation.
For longtime listeners, AFTER OURS reveals a band growing more fearless in both sound and storytelling. For newcomers, it offers a compelling introduction to one of the country’s most promising young acts whose sense of ambition and musicianship continue to push the boundaries of contemporary Filipino music.
AFTER OURS Tracklist:
IKAW LAGI
LANDI
BIGHANI
KUNG SAKALING TANAWIN
TALAGA
GOODBYE, SUMMER
24/7 LOVE & CARE
DI MAKAPANIWALA
ALYSON’s AFTER OURS will be available on all digital music platforms worldwide this May 22, 2026, via Offshore Music.
