Mellow Fellow - Jazzie Robinson Deluxe

Four years since the release of subterranean and acclaimed debut album, Jazzie Robinson comes a deluxe version featuring songs and collaborations outside of the original record pressed in highlighter yellow wax.

Kicking back in the suburbs of Muntinlupa, Polo Reyes wrote the record during the time he was in college simultaneously balancing rocky ups-and-downs in love and in coterie. With only a guitar and an 1/8" to 1/4" jack at hand, Reyes was able to heartily exhibit his purest affections amidst a narrative fueled by lethargy and gray. Radiant, tremulous guitars soar above familiar, white noise - a cushion for sometimes lively, sometimes dawdling instrumentation. Reyes' writing often depicts restlessness and a bottomless yearning for change in the form of a billet-doux for an absent lover.

The A-side features the Jazzie Robinson LP as we know it — a comforting cluster of words and sounds that portray all the bleariness of being a broke, tired student that is loving and still learning how to love. Full of droning, distinctive guitar riffs and drowsy synths, each song sinks the listener deeper into a calm and steady acceptance of one's exhaustion — almost like a weight on one’s shoulders, coupled with a small, weary-eyed beam.

The B-side highlights some of Mellow Fellow’s hit singles “Dancing”, “How Was Your Day?” featuring Clairo, as well as "New Year's Eve" with FLOOR CRY. These excerpts, though out-of-place, exhibits Reyes' prowess in production utilizing the bare minimum and escalating towards a bigger, lustrous sound. The previous voice, sifting through subtle garble had been replaced by sonorous melodies backed by consonant synths and strings. Reyes' ability to collate multiple jazz guitar runs that sing perfectly attuned to his classic rock roots, distinguishes his charm whilst streamlining his music to a wider audience.