Exploring new music can be daunting. It is easy to be comfortable and limit yourself within the current genres, songs and artists you are accustomed to. What is even more challenging is to dip your toes in music sung in a language you don’t speak nor understand.
Released on 18th March 2022, MOTOMAMI was met with critical acclaim. Sure enough, listening to this record not only proves that the enjoyability of music transcends language, but also showcases Rosalía’s courage in concocting an album where the songs are so sonically different from one another.
The variety in this album is refreshing. The dichotomy between the infectious party anthem ‘CHICKEN TERIYAKI’, and ‘DELIRIO DE GRANDEZA’ with its more traditional instrumentals, is so astonishing it can be hard to believe both these tracks are from the same album. Yet, this is the strength of this album; its ability to hold the listener’s attention by taking one through a novel and stimulating auditory journey. I always catch myself asking, “What’s next?”
The variety comes at a cost though. With the multitude of sounds permeating the album, it can be hard to make the tracks sound coherent when played as a whole. There are times where the songs segue awkwardly into each other. For example, the swaggerful and experimental track ‘SAOKO’ with the distorted synths flows quite jarringly into the restraintful but danceable reggaeton, ‘CANDY’.
Sonic qualities aside, this album excels at crafting its own identity which many artists fail to do. While MOTOMAMI itself literally means “motorcycle mommy”, Rosalía, in an interview with Billboard, defines it as “an energy”. True enough, this album exudes an energy of freedom and defiance. A song which perfectly encapsulates this is in ‘SAOKO’ where her lyrics translate to “I’m very much me. I transform / A butterfly. I transform.” Rosalía expresses how she is free to evolve and change into whatever she sets her sights into, removing herself from the stagnancy of the status quo. This concept translates perfectly into this opening track as the eccentric electronic sounds may surprise listeners who have been accustomed to her old music.
With all that said, if you have not listened to this masterfully crafted record yet, then prepare to be blown away by the colourful and intricately produced soundscape this album has to offer.
Comments