By José Gandue @spinning zone
Lightning Trip: the Argentine shoegaze that revives the spirit of the 90s
I believe in music that knows how to combine the sharp exclamation of distortion with the tenderness of melodies that don't resort to shouting as an easy way to express uncertainty or everyday doubts. It's music that seems to envelop the raw anger of our times in velvet, transforming fury into beauty. These are songs born from instrumental chaos that seek to embrace the listener and hold them in calm before releasing them to face the next battle.
I believe in layers upon layers of ambient and daring guitars that, without falling into unnecessary virtuosity, are capable of creating planets suspended in the air: dreamlike and powerful territories whose surfaces become resonant hurricanes, protectors against evil. Yes, I definitely celebrate the self-titled album by the Argentinian band Viaje Relámpago., the latest example of the return of nineties shoegaze with a renewed spirit and a beauty that has been lacking in the rock scene for a long time.
An Argentine indie supergroup
In June 2023, as a meeting between legends of Argentine indie music, Fer Blanco, Mariano López Gringauz (Valle de Muñecas), Sebastián Kramer (Jaime Sin Tierra) and Germán Perla (Mi Pequeña Muerte) They decided to shape a new project: Lightning Trip. The idea, according to them, was simple yet powerful: to unite their obsessions, styles, and stories to create new songs. Thus was born a ten-track album in which classic rock instrumentation delves into a constant exploration of distortion and reverberation. Rather than seeking obvious exaltation, they achieve noisy expressions of intimacy and tranquility, while the vocal melodies, without exaggeration or artifice, convey a sensitivity that doesn't need to shout to be heard.
An album that embraces intimacy and sonic chaos
Is it music for the masses? Will the music market find a place for it? That doesn't matter. It never has. But neither are these songs that seek refuge in cultural elites, trying to distance themselves from the popular ear. Quite the opposite: audiences can discover recordings like Things we wish to forget, Our happiest day o Strange day Like little journeys best enjoyed with headphones, believing the noise comes from your own inner fire. Each track on this precious record seems crafted to make our smiles grow second by second in the face of adversity.
