Austin, TX-based art-pop band Alma Muñeca share their ethereal EP, Deseo un Brillo, alongside the full project is the Brat summer-inspired “Melancolía,” a dreamy, sweaty, nostalgic ode to coping with change and the grief of losing one’s blind trust and growing up.
The synth-filled, raw “Melancolía” came about during the height of Brat summer and came together naturally and quickly. Producer Ernesto Grey (Font, Farmer’s Wife, Loveme, The Opera) shares, “It’s two simple chords and a dance beat lead the verses but what makes the song really special to me was its chorus. Similarly to “Sympathy is a Knife” by Charli XCX, the song takes a left turn by constantly skipping the first beat and getting smacked in the face with a wall of arpeggiated synths.”
“As soon as we had a musical base, I started blurting out what is now “‘Melancolía,'” says lead singer Cocó Allegra. The upbeat, high energy production juxtaposes the downcast lyricism as the band explores coming to terms with the flaws of their loved ones.
“It’s about the melancholy and nostalgia you feel as you grow up and realize your parents and family are human too and make lots of mistakes. Realizing someone you idolized is actually very flawed and wishing you could go back to thinking of them like a superhero and idealized. That moment when you can’t ever go back to that naïve child-like love and wishing your view of them never got tainted. Grieving that blind trust you have when you’re a child. It’s the one song of the EP that is not about romantic relationships yet it could be interpreted as that too.”
Written during a bout of heartbreak, the project, produced by producer Grey dives into desire, love and heartbreak–the dynamics between being on and off with someone as well as familial heartbreak and disappointment. Over five tracks, it chronicles the intricate difficulties of navigating nuanced relationships. Allegra explains, “How can I feel so passionate and loving about someone yet I also feel so much confusion, anger and sadness about them too? Keeping yourself hopeful in hopeless moments, freezing time with my lyrics and sharing it with the world, hoping someone out there can find comfort in them. I wrote this trying to find answers to questions, trying to heal and at the same time manifest self confidence.”
