Words by Samantha Radaza • November 10, 2026
Non-fiction • Reviews
7.5/10
OUR RATING FOR “MEME” BY BABY DOLLS
Language(s): Tagalog & English
Genre(s): Pop, surf rock, & novelty
Baby Dolls released “Meme,” one of their first original songs, as a single on September 3. They later released the music video on November 6. The MV is pure dollhouse: pink, pastels, big hair, big smiles, plus a choreography that looks made for a toy commercial, coming across rather like the brighter, happier sister to “Build a Bitch” by Bella Poarch. Naturally, the Barbie (2023) comparisons were also made by other listeners.
It makes total sense for a group literally named Baby Dolls to lean into Barbie-inspired visuals. Sonically, however, a more apt comparison might be the soundtrack of Teen Beach Movie (2013). After revisiting Teen Beach tracks from my childhood like “Falling For Ya” and “Surf Crazy,” I couldn’t shake off the uncanny similarities to a lot of Baby Dolls’ musical output. The group likes to pull pop and pop-rock from the 1950s-’60s, much like Teen Beach, and gives it a contemporary Filipino flavor.
Christian Martinez wrote and produced the track, Albert Tamayo arranged it, and Rox Santos (head of Baby Dolls’ label, StarPop) supervised. The group co-created the choreography with Renz Januz Bercasio. The idea is a dance relay across generations: lolas, titas, ates, then the memes crowd or madlang pipol. A novelty song made to be copied.
Now the part I am genuinely curious about. On the studio version, surf rock guitars akin to the ones in their debut single “Ikembot Mo” are very much present, but loud synth horns sit on top of them. Then you watch the live dance break and the guitars cut through every other instrument, in all their twangy and reverb-heavy glory.
I’ll be honest about how I got here. I wasn’t familiar at all with the surf genre. I initially thought Baby Dolls were doing country pop-punk in “Ikembot Mo,” but I did more research and realized that the twangy electric guitars in the song were not country pop-punk but surf rock. I ended up learning about an entire genre because of a girl group from It’s Showtime! Dick Dale and the Del-Tones drove the genre in the late 1950s to early ’60s, then The Beach Boys turned it into vocal pop. Weaving surf rock into shiny modern pop is a brilliant idea and gives the girls a memorable sonic brand.
The timing helps too. The majority of retro pop right now looks to the 1980s and Y2K. Surf rock is decades older, so it sounds fresh, and it’s rare in Filipino music. Martinez and Santos worked on both “Ikembot Mo” and “Meme,” so the return of the surf guitars is surely no accident. Someone in that studio knows how to do this. I just wish the mixing allowed the guitars to be heard better, like they were in “Ikembot Mo.”
“Meme” also capitalizes on the Baby Dolls’ singing skills way more. Their previous songs, as well-produced as they were, failed to highlight those entirely. Some members have soft, flirty, cute voices.
Others have surprisingly full and soulful ones, especially Johaira. Her high notes at the end showcase her powerhouse diva timbre with real weight and depth. It’s so rare in idol groups these days, as the industry typically prefers thin, cutesy tones. When it comes to vocals, the group has a whole lot more to work with than people give them credit for.
Here’s my plea to management. I know surf rock looks niche on paper, and I know “retro” usually means ’80s-2000s. But as far as I can tell, no other P-pop group has this as a signature sound. That’s an opening to strike. And Baby Dolls have a record of beating safe-bet logic. Exhibit A: “Oohh Lala Baby” has a doo-wop influence, which is an odd choice for a P-pop debut, right? And yet, it entered the Billboard Philippines Hot 100 at No. 96, making it the group’s first chart appearance. Its music video also topped the YouTube Music chart.
If they can make doo-wop-inspired pop a dance craze, what’s stopping them from embracing surf rock even more? It would solidify Baby Dolls as a unique force in our saturated P-pop market. They could be our modern-day Beach Boys — the Beach Girls!
Keep the horns if you want. Just don’t be afraid of the surf elements and turn the guitars up! Overall, it seems that the ’50s-’60s retro sound might just be Baby Dolls’ perfect branding, if StarPop is brave enough to stick with it.
BAHIN SA MANUNULAT
Samantha Claire Lim Radaza is a Cebuano-Agusanon author. She has written several novels such as Rest in Medellin, Drowned in Your Scent, Blinding Lights, Wildfire Games, and Warmth in the Cold. She is also a Model United Nations representative. A few years ago, she won Best Position Paper at the International Peace and Security Model United Nations conference. Apart from writing, she was the manager of Cebuano musician Jimmy Ricks for three years.
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