Miami’s Las Nubes dive headfirst into the depths of their feverish sophomore album ‘Tormentas Malsanas’ – a charged and churning different rock tempest with an undeniably punk perspective that cuts to the core of life itself, all whereas getting very, very loud.
Stream: “Would Be” – Las Nubes
The very first thing you discover about Las Nubes is, they’re f*ing loud.
And so they have each proper to be: After the whole lot life’s thrown at them – and all of us, for that matter – these final couple of years, Ale Campos and Emile Milgrim have earned the suitable to make a lotta noise.
However theirs isn’t noise for noise’s sake; because the Godfather of Punk Iggy Pop himself has stated, “Las Nubes are far and away the most well liked band in Miami, and essentially the most socially related. They rock from the soul, lined in tattoos and perspective. They characterize an uncompromising life-style pattern that’s the future.” The band’s sophomore album embodies all this and extra as they climate all manners of storm, striving to outlive an more and more harsh and hostile local weather – each actually, and figuratively. As unapologetic as it’s uncompromising, Tormentas Malsanas hits onerous and leaves a long-lasting mark as Las Nubes reckon with the tumult and turmoil of simply getting by within the twenty first Century.
It’s a sonically and emotionally charged different rock tempest with an undeniably punk perspective – a document of ruthless riffs and uncooked humanity that cuts to the core of life itself, all whereas getting very, very loud.
My life’s passed by
Why isn’t something straightforward anymore?
My time is completed.
I can’t take it,
the years have flown alongside.
And I do know
the extra I give,
the much less I’ll get again.
– “Would Be,” Las Nubes
Launched June 14th, 2024 by way of Miami-based indie label Sweat Information Information, Tormentas Malsanas is a raucous, roaring, and unrestrained masterpiece. Arriving 5 years after Las Nubes’ debut LP SMVT, the multilingual band’s long-awaited second LP finds Ale Campos and Emile Milgrim honing their garage- and punk-influenced sound whereas concurrently increasing their imaginative and prescient, experimenting with their songs, and diving ever-deeper into themselves and the world round them.
The pair’s ambition is on full show within the sweep, all-consuming ten-minute triumph, “Caricia” – an indeniable album spotlight – whereas their lyrical energy shines brightest on daring songs like “Pesada” (wherein they name out performative activism) and “Would Be.”
As Campos and Milgrim clarify, this assortment actually is a very long time coming – they usually couldn’t be extra happy with the outcome.
“From begin to end, this document took about 5 years to jot down and document,” Las Nubes inform Atwood Journal. “That’s to not say we started writing it with a imaginative and prescient in 2019, however one of many songs on it was written earlier than our debut album, SMVT dropped in 2019. One other couple songs trickled out and ultimately throughout the pandemic there was additional time to jot down and prepare extra. Demo-ing, rehearsing, recording, re-writing (in some cases), mixing, mastering, and so on. took about 2 of these 5 years.”
“Plenty of it was seemingly ramshackle to us at first,” they add. “Not in a ‘spaghetti on the wall’ sort of approach, however extra in that we had been experimenting and going by (inter)private modifications all through the whole time we had been creating it. After having the complete physique of songs, it turned obvious that there have been robust connections between the songs, primarily in theme, but in addition in the truth that the preparations had been much more complicated and complex in comparison with our debut. We had been rising and altering as individuals and as a band. Many of those modifications occurred throughout the prolonged recording course of and positively unified the album into what may very well be referred to as a “imaginative and prescient,” albeit seen by a retroactive lens.”
“Whereas creating Tormentas we turned higher listeners, higher musicians, higher writers and higher associates. A lot of the songs on the debut had been written by Ale earlier than there was a full band or shared course. These songs are nice, however these are higher. Nicely, at the least we predict so.”
Las Nubes describe Tormentas Malsanas as heavy (“interpret that how you want”), cathartic, and saudade. The album’s identify displays the torment inside and round us all.
“Actually translated to “Unhealthy Storms,” the title references how occasions in life, relationships and friendships, alongside sociopolitical issues, psychological well being struggles, and fixed change could be likened to intense climate that seemingly renders the whole lot not possible. However typically issues do work out ultimately – ‘the whole lot will return to position.’ It’s additionally a direct reference to the tumultuously miserable summer-year-round that’s our hometown; Miami, FL.”
The journey from album opener “Would Be” to nearer “Drop In, Ya Freaks” is like that of a roller-coaster: Sonic (and emotional) highs and lows abound as Las Nubes maintain completely nothing again, creating of their music an enormous, unstable, thunderous, and completely irresistible storm. Whether or not they’re singing about emotional entanglement (“Enredados”), drug dependancy and loss (“Silhouetted Man”), residing in Miami (“Drop In, Ya Freaks”), or the worry and risks of strolling alone at night time and preventing off somebody who’s making an attempt to assault you (“Caminar Sola”), Tormentas Malsanas makes each second significant as Las Nubes make each second rely.
As for their very own favorites, “We’re actually pleased with ‘Caricia,’ a ten+ minute literal storm that breaks the album in half,” Las Nubes smile. “It was a ‘they’re both gonna love this or hate this’ option to not solely put it on the album, but in addition to place it smack within the center. Appears we made the suitable determination. The response has been humbling. We’re presently toying with the thought of constructing a brief experimental movie for it. ‘The Weeks That Adopted’ and ‘Silhouetted Man’ are additionally highlights when it comes to unintentionally difficult composition and dynamics that we’re pleased with. And naturally, ‘Pesada’ is our homage to the sound of the place we grew up in, South Florida, and a few of our favourite bands from right here, all slow-ish, heavy, and brutal. We hope we did them proud with that one!”
Las Nubes have clearly unleashed a hearth inside – one we hope solely continues to burn brighter within the years to return.
Tormentas Malsanas is tight and turbulent in all the suitable methods, treating listeners to a contemporary, feverish, full-bodied musical palette that invigorates the soul because it evokes the thoughts. Impassioned, immersive, and endlessly enthralling, Las Nubes really are a sonic diamond within the tough.
“Life is consistently shifting, altering, and (hopefully) enhancing as we transfer by it and determine it out,” Las Nubes share. “A lot of it’s constructed from the connections we make, so don’t take these too frivolously. If we don’t take care of one another, who will?”
Expertise the complete document by way of our beneath stream, and peek inside Las Nubes’ Tormentas Malsanas with Atwood Journal as Ale Campos and Emile Milgrim take us track-by-track by the music and lyrics of their sophomore album!
Las Nubes’ European tour kicks off in mid-February – discover tickets and extra info right here!
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Stream: ‘Tormentas Malsanas’ – Las Nubes
:: Inside Tormentas Malsanas ::
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Would Be
There was a rumor going round a couple of live-action Energy Puff Women sequence being made by Diablo Cody. It was going to be set sooner or later and have them portrayed as adults trying again on their lives as crime-fighting little women who missed out on being youngsters. I grew up within the ‘90s and PPG was certainly one of my favourite cartoons, so I used to be actually enthusiastic about this. In the future Emile and I had been speaking about how cool it could be to jot down the theme tune for the present, so “Would Be” was the results of that. It took about 20 minutes to jot down.
On the time I felt like my greatest years had been flying away earlier than my eyes, and I used that as inspiration for what it’d really feel wish to be an getting old ex-superhero. For the video I edited an previous dwelling film of my father in his late 40s doing methods with a soccer ball. Rising up in Argentina, he all the time dreamed of going professional. Soccer was his old flame and he lastly had his probability and performed professionally for a yr earlier than getting severely injured. He wasn’t capable of proceed his profession in soccer after that, however he all the time carried the love for the game in his coronary heart. I felt just like the video captured the essence of the tune which is the will to take again these years you misplaced and simply cherish them.
Pesada
Throughout the time of George Floyd’s homicide, I observed a number of individuals who I adopted on-line had been posting continuous about subjects surrounding racial injustice within the U.S… What I discovered unusual was that they might share infographics written by different individuals as an alternative of forming their very own opinions, whereas additionally demonizing those that didn’t put up as a lot as them. Moreover, once I would go to protests, I anticipated to see all of them there however when the time got here none of them confirmed. “Pesada” is about performative activism and the comfort of sitting at dwelling and clicking “add to story” – how the delusion created by consideration makes you assume you’re absolved from being labeled as a nasty character.
Silhouetted Man
The tune is about drug dependancy and the way it impacts a household and what it feels wish to lose somebody. It’s a tune about my cousin Louie who seems on the album cowl together with his twin brother. Louie was the primary one who launched me to the band Damaged Social Scene, and we wished to convey some sounds to this tune. We additionally wished the refrain to be wordless and only a melody.
Caricia
The association progresses like a sluggish burn that steadily builds earlier than exploding. It’s a parallel between a tumultuous relationship and creating a way of desperation and chaos. Like a hurricane, this tune leaves behind a path of destruction on the crescendo, however rapidly turns into eerily calm.
Enredados (Misty’s Combine)
“Enredados” is about being so entangled with somebody that you simply’re rendered virtually dysfunctional even on the considered being with out them. You’re so blinded that you simply’re nearly ignorant that it might all crumble and/or it may very well be holding you again from different issues. The texture of the tune is speedy and ecstatic, in a less-familiar time signature, but in addition deliberately catchy, as to convey the elegant trappings of stated entanglement.
Agua Plastica
“Agua Plastica” is a tune in Portuguese. The music was impressed by the bands of Lê Almeida, a Brazilian virtuoso musician based mostly in Rio de Janeiro. The lyrics had been written by Nina, our former bassist whereas she was pregnant on tour. There’s an element in direction of the tip that turns into one thing fully totally different and it’s as a result of they had been initially two totally different preparations that we ended up combining collectively.
Caminar Sola
The tune was initially written for me by my buddy Eric Hernandez, however we didn’t find yourself utilizing it in any respect. I actually liked how easy the association was and that it had that nostalgic really feel to it that I feel ended up mixing nicely with the remainder of the document. I wrote the lyrics later, however I used to be simply making an attempt to suit phrases into the vocal melody that already existed. So a few of the lyrics don’t make sense, however they mainly discuss concerning the worry and risks of strolling alone at night time and preventing off somebody who’s making an attempt to assault you. Within the studio we modified the tunings of the guitars to offer it a extra shoegaze sound, My Bloody Valentine type.
Canse
“Canse” is the third model of this tune. Initially it was a lo-fi model recorded at dwelling by Ale with lyrics in English and no guitar leads. Then in 2019 we recorded it for a Florida compilation and within the studio, we modified the lyrics to Spanish, got here up with guitar leads, and altered the drums. The ultimate model on the album is the tune on steroids! Extra guitar, extra drums, extra suggestions. It’s the final word summer time breakup anthem.
Drop In, Ya Freaks
“Drop In” extra straightforwardly approaches the band’s south-of-south dwelling, particularly addressing how residing in Miami, you’re so sure by how fickle the climate is, and that, in and of itself can hinder your aspirations and result in isolation. It’s basically a tune of choruses, a much less conventional construction representing anxiousness and anticipation sure up by the sensation you don’t have anything stable to depend upon, not even the climate.
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:: stream/buy Tormentas Malsanas right here ::
:: join with Las Nubes right here ::
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Stream: ‘Tormentas Malsanas’ – Las Nubes
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