Falling in love, falling out of love, and moving on is probably one of the oldest tropes ever told. We’ve seen movies, tv shows, books, and especially songs about that specific cycle so often that at some point, you have to ask yourself: are people ever going to find something new to write about?
However, once in a while, someone produces a piece of art that seemingly breathes life again into that tired old trope. This year, that piece of art is Cebuano singer-songwriter Vincent Eco’s EP, Sa May Baybayon (roughly translated as From The Shoreline).
It’s not an exaggeration to say that Eco is a master at writing about heartbreak. He’s spent nearly the last decade writing and rewriting songs about loss and love. Eco has a host of heart-wrenching tracks like “I Know You Do,” “If You Leave,” and “Kiss and Disappear” that are testaments to his ability to connect deeply with his listeners through his music.
However, with Sa May Baybayon, he completely blows everything he’s ever written before out of the water. The six-track EP, which was co-produced by David Prendergast (Kodaline, Paul Alwright, and Overhead The Albatross), is somehow both refreshingly new and nostalgic. Yes, the subject matter that Eco writes about is something he’s always written about, but the way that the whole project is produced and packaged is so thoughtful and intentional. It adds a completely new layer to the quality of storytelling that Eco aimed to achieve in the EP.
The record starts out with the sound of waves crashing onto the shore. From that point on, we are eased into the story with “Baybayon,” a Bisaya-language track that hits the nail on the head of what it’s like to quietly yet deeply yearn for someone’s affection. It then proceeds to the light and sweet-toned “Carry Your Heart,” which I believe started out as a poem, Eco revealed during a private listening party for the EP prior to its release.
Then comes arguably the heaviest part of the EP: “Baby” and “The Way Things Go.” If the first two tracks were dedicated to what it sounds like to fall in love, these two reflect the sadness, pain, and anger of the fallout. Believe me when I say that the bridges in these songs are the absolute best of Eco’s career so far, especially in “The Way Things Go.” I mean, just read this section:
‘Cause I miss you like I’m grieving / As you walk in front of me / As our memories flood the streets / And as I’m diving from these feelings / As I’m cursing out your name / In my mind, it won’t come out / You’re the rope I’m tightly holding / But I know I have to let you go.
Eco stretches his voice, isn’t afraid to basically scream into the microphone, as the music swells around him in the most apt way possible.
Then, we see the two explorations into the acceptance stage: “Favourite Drug” and the instrumental track “Paghunas” (roughly translated as “Tide”). In a way, these tracks reflect the quiet acceptance that comes with walking away from a deeply felt love. In “Paghunas,” Eco strips it down to a piano and strings, as if to say, I am walking away from a love that shook me to my very core, and I’m going to be okay with that. Maybe not now, maybe not tomorrow, but someday.
Just when you think the piano is ready to fade out, then comes that sweet, sweet saxophone into the mix. The EP ends just as it started: with the sound of waves crashing onto the beach. It is a story that starts, and ends literally from the shoreline.
The crashing of waves onto the shore, the faint sound of laughter, the perfect imperfection of the noise an acoustic guitar makes when you’re switching chords — it is in the tiny details that the record truly comes together. Every song is crafted with the utmost sense of intentionality, that you can go and listen to each song multiple times and still find new details that make you appreciate the song even more.
Both the EP and its rollout are proof that Eco is at the top of his game. The central concept of the story is executed amazingly through the visuals, the production, and the songs themselves. So, if you’re going to listen to anything at all this week, make it this one.
Focus tracks: The Way Things Go, Favourite Drug
Listen to Vincent Eco’s Sa May Baybayon below.
coast2coast 