There’s a high drama moment on “I’ll Be Alright (I’m Still Here),” the closing track on Uju’s second LP “The Sun Is In Our Eyes,” where vocalist Leeju Jung repeats the lyric “I’ll Be Alright.” It’s a chorus trying to convince itself with pop psych self-affirmation, a miserablist’s credo at once a “woe is me” sigh and a survivalist’s mental fluffing against future anxiety. It’s absolutely sweet. And the song clocks in at more than six minutes too but it never gets boring.
Trying to be grounded in the present while emoting to high heavens has become Uju’s stock-in-trade. A gloomy riff paired with delay-drenched singing may be a formula that’s been deployed many many times before, yet still conjures power in capable hands. In this sprawling 12-track album “The Sun Is In Our Eyes,” this Dumaguete City band makes grasping at undefinable sadness incredibly beautiful.
Formed in 2018, Uju means “galaxy” in Korean and aptly enough, the shoegaze duo is led by Leeju Jung. She prefers to be called Judy, who is Korean-born, is a transplant from Seoul who came with her family to the islands when she was four and has since grown up in the college town of Dumaguete.
‘ ’35’: ‘image’: ‘jcr:fb36c330-acf9-46d4-a366-2e870ef253b3’ ‘imageCaption’: ‘Leeju Jung and Kenanaiah Jo of Uju. Photo courtesy of MELT
Uju’s debut album “Dream of Better Days” (2020) made heads turn, introducing the band to the world thanks to a strong marketing campaign by Melt Records of Cebu.
Notable on this second album is the departure of founding members David Chu and Diosem A. Dagaas, who used to play guitars and drums respectively. Recording and writing the newest album, it’s now only Jung and guitarist Kenanaiah Jo who’ve decided to forge ahead with the Uju name.
What I can clearly scope out from the richly textured post-rock, intersecting with vintage dream pop, is there’s no sophomore slump here.
They’ve left the first record’s whimsical dipping of toes in the water, instead choosing to ascend the tallest structure around, feet on the ledge, testing the wind shear at the edge to wave to clouds and sun, while asking where their childlike delight has gone.
‘ ’36’: ‘assetautoplay’: false ‘assetcontrols’: true ‘assetloop’: false ‘assetmuted’: false ‘assetpreload’: ‘auto’ ’embed’: ‘