#New Music Friday – Fern., OSN, Ben Utomo, NOKI & MK

Another week has gone by. We’re wrapping up the first week of the month with our list of best songs from Augustand covered some of the biggest news and releases from the last five days, including the first music video from Jackson Wang’s new supergroup, PANTHEPACK; Twopee’s latest three-way collaborative single with Khan of Thaitanium and FIIXD; producer and director Leesuho joining Balming Tiger and previewing new music off his upcoming album; GVNDVLXCXXX$ dropping the first music video off her newly released PARA MAHAHIMIK KA NA EP; and the star-studded Korean tourism campaign, which features pH-1, JAY B, Woodie Gochild, and more.

Earlier this week, Jay Park took to Twitter to interact with fans and revealed that he’s “not really concerned” with signing new artists “anymore”; and China has cracked down on the entertainment sector, axing reality shows and calling for numerous boycotts of celebrity and fan culture. This weekend, VannDa and Réjizz will perform at the ASEAN Music Showcase Festival 2021.

That’s that and let’s get into the new music releases you should check out today.

Fern. – DREAMWALKER

Filipino musician Fern. finally dropped his latest album, DREAMWALKER. Straddling between pop and R&B, the affecting 12-track record explores wide-eyed, coming-of-age themes with moments seemingly inspired by Frank Ocean’s Blonde era. It includes previously released singles, “LOOPING,” “Kagandahan,” “Baby Rye,” and “Whatever This Is – Side B.”

Ben Utomo – “Ghosting” ft. Benny Fasak, Si_Pattra

Indonesian rapper Ben Utomo switches gear with an R&B-inflected melodic single, “Ghosting,” featuring Benny Fasak and Si_Pattra. The song, which was “completed in just a matter of minutes,” explores an all-too-familiar phenomenon in modern dating. In a press statement, Utomo explained the track’s theme. “If you listen to it, in the first verse I talked about getting close with this woman, but she suddenly disappeared. Whereas in the second verse, I was the one who disappeared. I’m sure this is something that many young people experience today. I hope that many people can relate to the perspective of the story in this song.”

NOKI, MK – “PAYUNG PELANGI”

NOKI and MK of Malaysian rap group K Clique summon courage in their latest single, “PAYUNG PELANGI” (Rainbow Umbrella). “Jadi abaikan segala halangan, teruskan bergerak maju ke hadapan” (So ignore all obstacles, keep moving forward), NOKI raps. This is the newest single from the group since July’s standalone track, “SEBELUM/PARACETAMOL” (Before/Paracetamol).

高爾宣OSN – BYGONES

Taiwanese rapper-singer 高爾宣OSN finally shared his melancholic BYGONES EP. The 6-track project includes one feature from Howard Lee (closing track “Doubt?) and 2020 single, “So Bad.” OSN began the rollout for the full EP last month, releasing a series of accompanying muted visuals. This is his first major project since 2019’s #osnrap.