In ALYSON’s After Ours, Love And Music Lingers Long After Everything Fades

In a deceptively upbeat city pop serenade, ALYSON delivers an effective narration of a love that lingers after a breakup. 

Words Mian Centeno
Photo Courtesy of NYOU
June 13, 2026

What happens during the after hours? 

Following their successful debut album Definitely Love! city pop quintet act ALYSON returns with After Ours, featuring a more refined musical identity and polished songwriting that reflects on their emotional exploration of the complex aftermath of love. 

Released on May 22 via Offshore Music, After Ours evokes a sense of nostalgia through the band’s signature groovy basslines, rich synth, and indie beats molded around 80s Manila sound. 

The album gives off a Kundiman-ish hue which shifts the Japanese descent of city pop into something that truly reflects ALYSON’s music direction. 

Comprised of members Pio Ligot, Luis Uy, Marcus Mababangloob, Miguel Erfe, and Easel Manes, ALYSON showcases how they matured as a band since their first album. 

From the kilig that comes when falling in love, to an album that reflects on a love that burned longer than the relationship. 

“AFTER OURS is what happens after love lingers longer, when the fire starts burning through and you’re left with the embers. 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,” lyricist and vocalist Pio shares. 

Collaborating closely with orchestral arranger and trumpeter David Jorvina, the album is elevated sonically by the arrangement of ornate horn and string. 

Add the efforts by acclaimed engineer Eiji Hirano whose behind revered Japanese acts such as Ryusenkei, AFTER OURS embraced city pop thoroughly in their identity, further outlining their ambition and musicality to redefine modern Filipino music.

“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,” bassist and producer Marcus shares.  

“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 years ago,” he added.

Wanting listeners to experience albums as a cohesive listening experience, After Ours takes you on a linear memory trip to the process of being in love and what happens after it all ends, as you dwell on the beauty of what once was. 

Here’s a personal review of every song in the album in order:

IKAW LAGI

In this radiant opening of the album, IKAW LAGI is a groovy disco beat that recalls the sweet sound of their Definitely Love! album in terms of kilig as it signifies the unstoppable feeling of attraction towards another person, hoping that they get to spend more time together. 

LANDI

From IKAW LAGI’s reminiscent lyricism, ALYSON reels you in with sexy saxophone and jazzy tunes that match the title of the song which roughly translates to flirting. In LANDI, the band fleshes out the narrative with intimacy brought by intimate touches as they try to let their affection known to their significant other. 

Pio Ligot on vocals and rhythm guitar

BIGHANI

While lowkey problematic due to suggestive themes of emotional cheating while on a relationship, the song is an internal reflection of incapability from moving on the past while already dating another person, which is surmised by the excerpt, “Kailangang pumiglas bago tuluyan nang kumapit sa tuksong malalim.”

The same sound cohesive to the album is present here, but a definite highlight are the strings that carried the empty portions to explain the inexplicable feeling of temptation which led them to question their own loyalty and love. 

KUNG SAKALING TANAWIN

A standout song from the album, KUNG SAKALING TANAWIN felt like a serenade, reminiscent of 80s romantic tunes. The song expands from BIGHANI where the character wonders if it’s possible to return back to the past—hoping that maybe, they can rekindle the spark that has long since faded away. It's somber, but it carries a reminiscing feel into it that somehow, despite the sadness, it still feels like a confession of love. 

Miguel Erfe on bass

TALAGA

A sudden transition from the somber tunes of KUNG SAKALING TANAWIN, TALAGA is highlighted by Paprikka and Pio’s vocal chemistry. The lovely contrast between her high pitch and his low register bringing this playful confession of love to its peak. The affable interaction between the singers totally brings this song up a notch, making it a strong favorite in the album. 

GOODBYE, SUMMER

In a surprising change in tone, GOODBYE, SUMMER has notes of rock while still retaining the album’s core, but in a much darker tune. It’s sad and nostalgic, as the character reminisces about the past with acceptance. It felt like the character now views the memory as a tough learning curve in a relationship, willing to move on but still hanging on the remaining feelings painfully.

Easel Manes on keyboard

24/7 LOVE & CARE

Accepting the breakup, the character keeps the embers of their love in a soft declaration of becoming their safe space, as if telling the other person that they would always cherish the past they’ve had. It is beautiful because it serves as a breathing space from all the heavy notes presented in the previous songs, akin to a chill study music that you will totally vibe with when wanting peace.

It perfectly embodies the feeling of acceptance in love, when you finally decide to move on while still keeping the marks they’ve left on you.

DI MAKAPANIWALA 

Taking on the spirit of old Manila love songs, DI MAKAPANIWALA is a compelling piece that perfectly wraps up the emotionally-turbulent journey of acceptance in love. It is the rainbow after the clarity brought by 24/7 LOVE & CARE, carrying a hopeful note on a love that endures. 

Luis Uy on lead guitar

On a personal note, my top three favorites in the album are LANDI, KUNG SAKALING TANAWIN, and 24/7 LOVE & CARE as they carried the feeling of kilig in a serenade.

From the ornate horns to the cool, lovely tunes that carry city pop’s freespiritedness, these songs made the memories I carried from the past all the more sweeter. 

Overall, AFTER OURS is a compelling album that explores both the lovely and ugly sides of being in love—and it works. 

Marcus Mababangloob on drums

Because it is honest, sincere, and endearingly realistic; so much that it could reel you into memories of past love that you may have carried within for long. 

Because it is real. There’s always a love that never dies—even after you’ve long lost each other. That certain kind of feeling—like how your stomach became a hub for the butterflies, one that  gives you a certain adrenaline and heat, a feeling that no distance or time could fade. 

Just like how this album felt like a soundtrack that would last long even after the music fades, the love encompassed by ALYSON in this comeback is enduring and timeless.