Confounding yet rewarding. That seems to be the prevalent response from our staff while dissecting Lainus’ latest single, “Montañitas.” As part of a series of EPs to be released by Enemika Records this year, “Montañitas” is as abrupt and synth-swarmed in its construction as “Baile Contemporaneo” was. Chilean dreamwaver Alfredo Ibarra walks miles apart from the effortless pop of his Chilean peers. Not digestable enough to export, and not experimental enough for cult consideration, this is a project easy to overlook. But Lainus isn’t sitting comfortably in limbo, and instead employs his premise of “misty vocals and vintage analogue synthesizers” in other platforms, where the conception of an Andean electropop landscape might be easier to grasp. And it is. The video for “Montañitas” (directed by Enrique Ramirez) serves as a comforting companion to the song’s oblique harmonies. Animation, double exposure, and an overall maximalist art direction are used in the video. That’s the same widespread dynamic operated by Lainus in his quest of stuffing the space with sound. The journey is challenging, but when Lainus pushes for that last gasp towards the end, harmony is reached at last. Grab the EP here.
Video: Lainus - "Montañitas"
Confounding yet rewarding. That seems to be the prevalent response from our staff while dissecting Lainus’ latest single, “Montañitas.” As part of a series of EPs to be released by Enemika Records this year, “Montañitas” is as abrupt and synth-swarmed in its construction as “Baile Contemporaneo” was. Chilean dreamwaver Alfredo Ibarra walks miles apart from the effortless pop of his Chilean peers. Not digestable enough to export, and not experimental enough for cult consideration, this is a project easy to overlook. But Lainus isn’t sitting comfortably in limbo, and instead employs his premise of “misty vocals and vintage analogue synthesizers” in other platforms, where the conception of an Andean electropop landscape might be easier to grasp. And it is. The video for “Montañitas” (directed by Enrique Ramirez) serves as a comforting companion to the song’s oblique harmonies. Animation, double exposure, and an overall maximalist art direction are used in the video. That’s the same widespread dynamic operated by Lainus in his quest of stuffing the space with sound. The journey is challenging, but when Lainus pushes for that last gasp towards the end, harmony is reached at last. Grab the EP here.