When It Rains: 7 OPM Rock Songs for Rainy Days

It's raining again, and all you need is the right playlist. Here's a mix of names you already know and a few underrated finds worth discovering or re-discovering.

All of us usually have our own rainy day ritual at home. Whether it’s a bowl of sopas, champorado, or a favorite TV Show, we have it. But sometimes you want a bit of guitar, a bit of noise, but the kind that isn't too loud, the kind that still fits the sound of rain on a roof. So here are seven: a mix of bands you already know by heart and a few you might not have heard yet. No ranking here, they all win when it's raining.

1. Toll Gate

Hale

This one's a bonus track from Hale's special edition of their 2005 self-titled debut album, the same record that gave us "The Day You Said Goodnight" and "Kung Wala Ka." You know how Hale does alternative rock: heavy in the chest but never quite breaking. "Toll Gate" has that same feel: quiet but aching, the kind of song that fits perfectly when it's raining outside and you're looking back on things you probably should have let go of already.

2. Tumatakbo

Mojofly

Before "viral" was even a word, Mojofly's "Tumatakbo" already was one. It's the first fully 3D-animated music video in Philippine music history, and it won Best Animated Video at the 2006 MTV Pilipinas Video Music Awards. Off their 2005 album MOJOFLY Now, it was written by Lougee Basabas when she was just 14 years old. Bonus trivia: it also became the theme song of the 2021 GMA series "The Lost Recipe." But beyond the trivia, it's energetic with a hint of sadness underneath, the kind of song that makes you want to move even when it's pouring outside.

3. Rosas

Parokya ni Edgar

Everyone knows PNE for their comedy rock, but the truth is their reputation runs just as deep on the serious, heart-on-sleeve side. "Rosas" is one of the tracks that shows the band's quieter, more vulnerable side, a world away from the novelty songs but just as effective. If your chest feels heavy while it's raining, this is the kind of song that just lets you feel it.

4. Leaving You

Session Road

Whether you're from Baguio or not, there's a particular kind of chill running through Session Road's songs, which makes sense since that's exactly where the band started, on Session Road itself in Baguio City back in 1998. Hannah Romawac-Olives is the voice of the group, and there's a genuinely misty, cool-weather quality to their sound that fits the northeast monsoon and rain so well. "Leaving You" feels like standing in a foggy morning: sad, but calm.

5. Sunday Driving

Rivermaya

Off their 2003 album Between the Stars and Waves, "Sunday Driving" is one of Rico Blanco's most underrated love songs. It's not your typical heartbreak anthem. It's more about hope, about the quiet of empty streets with no traffic, and about wanting someone to come back into your life. It's honestly the perfect song for driving down a wet road with barely any other cars around and coffee in the cupholder.

6. Masilungan

Sandwich

Off their 2003 album Thanks to the Moon's Gravitational Pull, "Masilungan" is basically the unofficial rainy season anthem of OPM rock fans, with lyrics that are literally full of rain and weather as metaphors for hope. Wish 107.5 has even named it one of their go-to rainy season songs, so it's not just us saying it. If there's one song on this list that was practically made for the rain, this is it.

7. Downside Risk

Nyctinasty

Last on the list, a bit of an underground discovery. Nyctinasty isn't as well known as the rest of the names here, but that's kind of the point of a list like this: there are bands that haven't reached mainstream radio yet but still deserve a spot on your playlist. "Downside Risk" has that raw, unpolished energy, as it came straight out of a basement gig in the middle of a storm. If you're into discovering something new, start here.

That's seven for now, but if you've got your own rainy day rock staples we didn't mention here (especially underground acts or newer bands), let us know. This might turn into a Volume 2.