MEAWW's Basement Tapes: Vaya Futuro continue to push the boundaries of their sonic vision with 'Talión'
Vaya Futuro's upcoming album 'El Peso Del Mundo' (The Weight of the World') is shaping up to be a stunning release. The latest single to drop from the album is 'Talión', a gorgeously cinematic and immersive sonic experience interpreting a revenge fantasy, released with an equally stunning video. The track follows previously released song '((o))', which the band has described as a graphic representation of pain, one that demonstrates a musical rebirth for the band.
'Talión' has already earned rave reviews with Billboard, who debuted the piece, noting, "The song’s orotund orchestral weight is conveyed with striking string arrangements by Marco Martinez." Speaking about the track, band principal Luis Aguilar shares, "When we started recording, this song seemed like it wasn't going to work, it was one of the slowest to complete. In the end, the common thread ended up being Marco Martínez's string arrangement, which is the only arrangement on the entire album that Arturo Vázquez-Vela did not make. The song's title refers to the Law of Talion (an eye for an eye) and relates different forms of injustice as memories of the past and how these influence someone to fall into this type of anger."
Gorgeous enough on its own, what makes 'Talión' even more impressive is it brings with it a sonic evolution for Vaya Futuro, one that is drastically different from their previous work. But that isn't particularly surprising when it comes to this band. Over the span of their career, Vaya Futuro have dabbled in everything from '90s guitar worship to sunny dream-pop to psychedelia and experimental and beyond. Nothing about this band's sound has ever been ordinary and with 'El Peso Del Mundo' (The Weight of the World') it is setting the scene for yet another genre-leap, one that proves to bring with it boldly orchestral tunes paired with gut-wrenching emotional themes.
Interestingly, despite the band's hometown Tijuana being a haven for music that is unique and vibrant, Vaya Futuro, for all their boldness and propensity for experimentation, hasn't necessarily found the success one would expect them to have in the city. And to that end, the band has faced some painful struggles in the last few years, including sleepless nights recording their 2015 release 'Perro Verde y Triste'.
The album itself wasn't hard for the band to make. But their morale had been crushed by the lack of direction they had at the time, made only harder by their move from Tijuana to Mexico City. But eventually, this turned their fates around. "For Luis, Ros and me, the time we were making Perro Verde y Triste was like the worst time of our lives," drummer Miguel Ahuage shared once in an interview with Remezcla. "We felt stuck. Everybody who goes (to Tijuana) to visit asks us why we ever left. I used to work at an outlet in San Diego folding clothing for five years. There was a point where I couldn’t take it anymore. When we moved to Mexico City, everybody’s attitudes changed. I’ve done much more here in two years than I did in TJ in five."
But it still wasn't smooth sailing from there. "Three of us used to live in a hotel room for nine months," shared keyboardist Armando Aguilar in the same interview. "We went a little crazy living in such close quarters. One day I buzzed my hair off; the guys saw me and asked me how I did it and they decided to do it as well, except Miguel who did everybody’s hair. Surviving that period of time and still being together has helped us." And from that survival was born the band's shoegaze phase which culminated in 2017's 'Tips para Ir de Viaje'. But during this period of growth and musical creativity, the band once again struggled, owing to lineup changes and issues with their label.
Their sound may evolve over time, but one thing that remains consistent with Vaya Futuro seems to be their ability to face everything life hurls at them by channeling their struggle and pain into their music. And perhaps, that is how they manage to come back stronger each time, with a fresh sound and greater lyrical depth. The upcoming album 'El Peso Del Mundo' ('The Weight of the World'), which will release on September 4 via Devil In The Woods, is an exploration of genres from flamenco, jazz and ambient to orchestral and electronic experimentation. Thematically, the album is shrouded in themes of isolation and trauma. It is, essentially, a diary of what happens when a person becomes shaped by hate while reaching into the darkest feelings of humanity. And if anyone can tell this story with conviction and authenticity, it is Vaya Futuro.
Speaking about the release Aguilar states, "With this album, we finally found our path to the type of band we want to be. We have this band, this family, and that’s the best way I could ask for to sublimate these emotions. All of the negative feelings I may have had are engraved in here, in this new material. Now those bad feelings are no longer within me."
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'MEAWW's Basement Tapes' is a column that shines a spotlight on undiscovered/underrated musical gems.