By José Gandue @Gandour
For some personal reason, the Chilean duo From Monaco has used the Hindi term Viraha (whose meaning in Spanish is roughly "discovery of love through separation") to title her new album. Recently released on digital platforms, we can confirm that Viraha is a small sonic gem of four songs that invites dancing and, at the same time, experimentation, the search for new sonic textures., which demonstrate an interesting and intense evolution in the work of this musical group based in Santiago. Once again we have confirmed the good moment of the Australian alternative pop and for this reason we have sought out Carlos Contreras, one of the halves that make up this project, on social networks to talk about the present and future of his career.
How would you define De Monaco's current sound?
I think what stands out most is the well-crafted sound, with many details that make it innovative and different within the pop or electronic genre.
There is a noticeable difference compared to this work, Viraha and the previous one, The Age of Enlightenment, How would you describe that evolution?
I feel like it was something very natural, more than forced. The most noticeable difference, I think, is in the timbres and sounds we developed. Everything was organic and recorded by ourselves, which gives the work a strong sense of its own identity. The snares. Kick drums. Noises. We went out and recorded it on the street. So it was super interesting to be able to mix electric guitar and pop with that system. And that's mainly the evolution, I think. Besides, of course, there's the lyrical concept, which this time was approached in a more intimate and personal way.
What are De Monaco's new lyrics about?
These are very personal things. Something deeper than the older albums. They're very honest words and emotions that we experienced during that time, and we believe people can identify with them or give them their own meaning. It's a much more intimate and personal album, in any case.
Could that signify greater maturity?
I suppose that as one gets older, one also acquires different ways of seeing things. A different perspective, and of course, if we can call that maturity, I think so.
Looking closely at new Chilean music, one can observe a preference for alternative pop. Why is this happening? What kind of events would you attribute it to?
Mmm. Do you think so? I feel like that happened a few years ago. When everything was pop. Now I feel like people got a little bored. Trap music appeared and everything went to shit.laughterBut I think that preference for it might be because it was, or is, a very fresh movement, with good artists who got a little bored with rock and wanted to create something more mainstream without losing their essence. I think alternative pop lends itself to that. You can mix various things and it still remains pop.
Whenever I talk to a Chilean musician and comment on how great their music scene looks, they tell me that it's not like it exists and that because it's "at the end of the world," there isn't much to do in Chile itself, which is too small a place to depend on. Do you agree with that view?
I think I agree that there are many excellent artists, a lot of quality. Maybe it gets better every year. There's always someone new who raises the bar. In that respect, we're doing well. But regarding building a career solely here, I certainly agree with that approach. It's very small, very closed. Favoritism, lobbying, and cronyism play a huge role, unless you have a lot of money to invest in your project. It's difficult, and that's why many of us look to open doors elsewhere, where at least the scene isn't so small and can be more diverse.
If you had to talk about local proposals, which are your favorites? Who would you promote in Latin America and why?
I like a lot of bands from here too. It's Portugal which I love, Cache It's a new band from the old Mecánico, which I also really like because they're going against the grain of everything that's happening in pop music. They want to break away from that, and I love that. Gothic Beach Also, very good.
Why did they use the Hindi term Viraha What should they title their new album?
It's a concept that represents the common thread throughout the entire EP. In the end, the songs talk about that: detachment, not clinging to things in order to want them. Learning from that, not possessing things. And Viraha It represents all of that very well.
What does the future hold for De Monaco?
Our live launch here in Chile is in a couple of weeks. We're fully focused on that. Then we'll be touring Chile and hopefully going back to Mexico next year. And also going to Argentina. It's something we've been meaning to do and we really want to. After that, we'll continue releasing EPs. Viraha It is only the first in a series of 4 episodes that we will release until 2020.
