By José Gandue @Gandour
It must be said: The consistency of the artists who remain is appreciated., that evolve, Those who avoid being a flash in the pan or a one-hit wonder. We congratulate the musician who, while preserving the essence of their work, takes risks and explores different paths, passing through varied landscapes, some with gentle soil and others with harsh, corrosive, and aggressive terrain. Alfonso Espriella presents his fourth album It all starts now. And it's clear that the route has taken him through diverse terrains. The Colombian's new songs reveal mood shifts that suddenly move from moments of adult tenderness to intense rage, where aggression is expressed through incisive textures, new to the artist's work. We are faced with an intense album, exquisite in its details. and with melodies that do not neglect their possibilities of having direct contact with their audience. It all starts now. It's a good album that deserves to be listened to carefully.
Alfonso Espriella officially launches his new album October 19th at the Lumiere Auditorium, in Bogotá's Zona Rosa. Therefore, we took the opportunity to get ahead of things and talk to him about the details of his work:
After three previous albums, why say "on the fourth production"? «"It all starts now"»?
This has several levels. First, the most existential or “spiritual” level. It is the main teaching in many traditions and paths of consciousness: to inhabit the present. To be open to the here and now, even though the mind's inertia tends to pull us away... to lead us into its endless wanderings about the past or the future. Perhaps it's a way of continuing to remind myself of this. But also on a circumstantial level, because of the time I was writing these songs, I felt like I was closing cycles and letting go of things: a relationship, old expectations about the same musical path, old musical interests, etc. So the name worked for me on many levels of my life.
When you say you're starting over, how do you feel about your previous jobs? Anything you regret?
No. Each work reflects aspects of where I was at that moment. When I started composing this album, I no longer had any songs from the past. I had used them all up, so it was a new beginning. I wasn't committed to any old formula, to old ideas; I could go in any direction, let the new be born, let it flow. And I feel that there are things that obviously sound like me, emotions that could be a kind of "signature" of Alfonso Espriella, but there are also new risks: screams and rasps in the voice, songs without choruses, a track that is an improvisation on an out-of-tune piano, and other things that I hadn't included on a record before.
In short, how would you describe their current sound?
I feel the album has two sides. One is dense, dark, and aggressive, and the other is sweet, nostalgic, and kind.
Listening to the album, one senses at times a flirtation with some pop essences, but at the same time I feel that you explore rage in a deeper way than on previous occasions. Is the passage of time giving you more permission to explode with greater intensity?
Maybe. I played metal as a teenager and I still like it. On this album, I dared to bring back some of that energy from my past, but recontextualized it in a non-metal format, even with a more pop sensibility. Live, I often felt like screaming and I did, and the performances were more intense in that way than the albums I recorded. This time I wanted to bring some of that visceral quality to the album as well. Anger can be a very powerful, even joyful, source of vitality if it's channeled correctly. On this album, I wanted to give space to whatever came to me, from the sweetest and most subtle (songs like Life at its most heartbreaking as Theater o The path).
Do you feel like an adult?
Hmm... I don't know... most of the time I don't think so, even though in theory I am. I think I have trouble associating my life with the concept of age. I do feel more confident in myself than before, that's for sure. That could be adulthood, perhaps. I think my fears (although I still have them) have a little less power and control over me than when I was younger, for example. That could also be a sign of adulthood.
With the passage of time and the evolution of your sound, how do you feel in the midst of the current Colombian music scene?
Over time I believe that in the rock niche I have earned a certain respect that I humbly appreciate. (and sometimes from insecurity, not believing it), but at the same time, seeing current bands with such high quality makes me feel called to demand more and more of myself, inspired by the desire to have a proposal as professional and interesting as that of many other rock colleagues.
Let's talk about your experience with Totó La Momposina. Why do a version of a classic like The fisherman With her? A desire to flirt with a different audience? A publicity stunt? A desire to explore uncharted territory?
Perhaps a fair dose of each of the above. Obviously, I was aware that it was something that would generate controversy, but I don't think I would have done it if the artistic result hadn't been significant to me. The initial inspiration for that idea came from seeing her in concert one day and feeling the power of her voice and her being. It was so strong that maybe on one level I said, "I want some of that.", And that's where the desire to bring her to sing on a heavy rock production was born, also to see how those two sonic colors would interact. I liked the result; it felt natural... as natural as the very life process that led me to her, discovering that we rehearsed on the same day, at the same time, in the same rehearsal space, which made the meeting and conversation possible. So, let's say it was an essentially artistic interest, which life facilitated so that it could materialize, and which I also knew would generate discussion.
How would you like this new album to be described in the press and among your fans?
Like an album where I give myself new freedoms, where I further broaden the spectrum of what can fit within my project. Where there is heartbreak, intensity, depth... I would like all of that to be perceived.