LOS ANGELES, California — Los Angeles-based Filipino producer Plus Minus Equals Riot has just dropped his latest track Ocean, a modern rock ballad featuring Henry Allen of the renowned Cebuano rock group Faspitch on vocals. The new single is now available on all major digital streaming and download platforms.
Plus Minus Equals Riot is the monicker of Chuck Bollozos, a member of such legendary Cagayan de Oro indie acts as Nuncyspungen and Gasulina. Bollozos is currently based in Los Angeles, California and has found his new identity as a music producer infusing a unique brand of pop rock in every release while collaborating with a rotating cast of both big names and up-and-coming artists.
“When I listen to a song and I have a hard time making melodies and vocals, I know the song is going to be really good.”
Henry Allen, on the challenge of writing “Ocean”
The remote collaboration with Henry Allen came naturally as the pair had long maintained a mutual respect and friendship since the boom of the Cebu and Cagayan de Oro indie music connection in the late 2000’s. “I’ve always looked up to Chuck,” Allen shares. “He reached out to me [during the pandemic] and asked me to do vocals on a song. When I listened to it, it was huge and I immediately loved it.”
The challenge of finding the right words and vocals for Ocean’s big band influenced arrangement was not lost on Allen. “I knew it would be a challenge to sing on the song,” he adds. “My perspective is that when I listen to a song and I have a hard time making melodies and vocals, I know the song is going to be really good.”
Ocean oscillates on overriding themes of loneliness brought about by long distance relationships, an all too common experience for the Filipino diaspora. According to Allen, he initially started building the story around his own experiences but, as he continued to converse with Bollozos about the collaboration, the latter’s story started to creep in. “I didn’t notice it at first, but I realized at the end, this really is a song about Chuck.”
A music video for the track directed by David Anthony Ortiz is set to be released at a yet unannounced date and features Bollozos’ current locale of Los Angeles as a setting. Shooting the video, which became possible while Allen was on an unrelated trip to the United States, was surreal for both parties. “I shot a music video in the heart of LA, with my Bisaya friend, on the fourth of July,” Allen describes the experience.
Aside from Allen, Ocean also features another member of Faspitch on its staffing, with Russell Manaloto manning the vocal production and overall mixing for the track. The final recording was mastered at Off Trail Studios by Harrison Long while the evocative illustration on the single’s cover is a creation by Andee Cris.
Ocean is the first of several songs that Plus Minus Equals Riot hopes to release within the year. With his genre-bending production approach and diverse lineup of collaborators, listeners and fans can look forward to a unique flavor in every release. Henry Allen, meanwhile, has been kept busy with Faspitch’s own exciting release calendar, with their latest song This Love just having recently dropped and more great music in the band’s pipeline in the coming year.
Listen to Plus Minus Equals Riot and Henry Allen’s collaboration Ocean on your favorite streaming platforms or download it on Bandcamp!