In his newest track, dark R&B artist JRLDM waxes poetic on current events. As the title implies, JRLDM captures the voice of a collective left anguished by the political divides in Philippine society, recently made apparent by the recent national elections. Over lonely guitar grooves, JRLDM’s voice soars to echo sentiments of pain and loss by fixating on one’s self, as if to say that all of us are victims to some extent under this new regime. The guitar solo towards the end — the song’s emotional and melodic climax — roars to an abrupt stop, as if out of breath.

There are tinges of anger, sadness, and frustration reverberating in JRLDM’s voice throughout the whole track, one that resonates with many in this time.

“Kaya ko pa naman gumawa nung heavy vibes na hindi ko pinipilit ’yung sarili ko. [Tulad sa] ‘Biktima,’ heavy vibe pa rin siya. Pero chill ’yung dating,” JRLDM tells SCOUT. “Sa mas matalino kong paraan at proseso ko ginawa. Kumbaga hindi mo na kailangan pilitin ’yung sarili mo. Pero nandu’n ka pa rin sa bigat mo. Pero hindi hassle ’yung proseso ng paggawa.”

Listen to “Biktima” on streaming platforms today: