By Rodrigo Ricardo @hhdrums
I always thought that Chile, musically, It was relevant because of the funk. Aside from Los Tres, bands like Chancho en Piedra, Los Tetas, Telefunken, and even Sinergia (though those guys are a real mess), from that side of the continent, were my influences and sparked my curiosity and admiration. Although, well… I almost never sat down to scrutinize the Chilean music scene with judgment and diligence…
Now, thanks to the fact that the Director of Zonagirante.com has tasked me with finding Latin American rock sounds to write about, I have begun to expand my sonic horizons. And I truly begin to discover the richness of Chilean rock. This time I met the gentlemen of Welsh, who with their self-titled EP burst onto the music scene, showing us three songs of very good quality, both for their production and their composition.
In these times, when power trios (even duos) abound in rock, Gales presents itself with five members to give our ears a series that is curious, not very uniform, but that is not a bad thing. Quite the opposite: this work showcases several styles that develop very well, although they don't blend together. Rather, as the songs progress, you can notice a kind of complementarity between them. Regardless of the order in which they are listened to, they will produce a pleasant experience.
They begin with Free Fall, It begins calmly, but explodes into a small alternative rock anthem with touches of jazz, growing and growing and becoming fast, leaving you hooked until it abruptly ends, leaving you feeling lost… But with the urge to shake my head until it falls off.
When the second song started, Ayampe, You realize that those desires to rock out are going to have to go to hell., Because it's funk (they had to include funk, Chileans!) tasty, rhythmic, with impeccable harmonic work, inviting you to relax, Open a bottle of wine and enjoy it.
They end with Can you believe it?, a nostalgic and fun blues-infused track, reminiscent of their compatriots Los Tres, in which its protagonist expresses his fear of not making music and their fate when "five nobodies" joined together to play for no reason.
This EP is definitely very stimulating. We are looking at a clean, well-crafted production, which features very interesting harmonic textures and which never fails to arouse, at the very least, curiosity about what our friends from Wales have to offer: five nobodies who play like masters.