Since early this year our trusted circle of tastemakers have been pointing us to Violeta Vil (VV) as the one band to watch for the second half of the year. After listening to a demo track (“Amish”), we understood what the fuss was about. That track tells the story of an Amish teenager who finds it in his heart to venture to the outside - to an exotic world we find normal, and yet, for him, is the embellishment of his identity and his last act of faith. Even more fascinating is the way VV juxtaposed the Amish character within his environment. See, the real secluded element in the track is a line of whispered microhouse in hopes of relief that’s isolated by tormented noise. The stunning track eventually reached our Midyear Report as one of our favorite songs of the year so far.
Before VV’s debut full-length album (tentatively titled Lápidas y Cocoteros) is released in October, their label, Discoteca Océano, released the band’s first mesmerizing single, “Toronjil,” along with the no less audacious B-side “Paso Selvático.” Band members Monica Di Francesco and Yanara Espinoza describe their sound as tropical goth, and “Toronjil” makes that premise a reality. This piece is a fest of affiliated, bone-deep sentiment portrayed with a mundane narrative and shadowy instrumental sequencing. “They took out a molar the day of her communion” is the first line in a song that sounds like it was carved by a cult of Catholic dentists, so austere in its form and yet, so obtainable in its rhythm.