LOS Angeles-based Filipino producer Plus Minus Equals Riot has just dropped his latest track “Ocean,” a modern rock ballad featuring vocalist Henry Allen of the Awit Awards-winning Cebuano rock group, Faspitch. The new single is now available on all major digital streaming and download platforms.
Plus Minus Equals Riot is the moniker 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.
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 2000s.
“I’ve always looked up to Chuck,” Allen shared. “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 said. “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 described 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.