The duo of Carolina Faruolo (ex-Los Bitchos) and Danny Lee Blackwell (Night Beats) release new video for single “Mañana,” a perfect soundtrack to feverish nights in dancehalls, sipping on caipirinhas and sharing cigarettes with strangers on the dancefloor. Their debut album Monte Carlo is out October 28th on Suicide Squeeze. On the LP the pair create a sound that encompasses the tropicalia of Os Mutantes, the scrappy songwriting of Cleaners From Venus and the trippy production of Lee “Scratch” Perry

WATCH THE “MAÑANA” MUSIC VIDEO

Carolina Faruolo and Danny Lee Blackwell had been friends and mutual admirers of each other’s musical projects for years, though with Faruolo residing in the UK and Blackwell residing in Texas, their interactions were limited. Yet as was so often the case for many of us during the shelter-in-place stretches of 2020, geographic proximity wound up being a non-issue as our socializations became almost exclusively online endeavors. In this era of isolation and uncertainty, Faruolo and Blackwell invented their own private escape to Latin rhythms, colorful vistas, and smoky revelries under the project name of Abraxas. Combining their shared love of Wendy Renee, Los Destellos, doo-wop and R&B, they crafted their debut album Monte Carlo by bouncing ideas across the Atlantic.

Today the band share a new video for second single “Mañana,” which they explain, “At the heart of planet Abraxas is a beating heart, roughly the size of the earth’s core. The pulsating beat of ‘Mañana’ echoes those rhythms while the song transports us to an endless journey through the sand dunes of the ‘Mañana’ moon. Our traveler weighs the future while wandering endlessly through a jungle casino mirage, lurking panthers and all. We love Bradley’s visual accompaniment with the track as it gives the viewer a glimpse into this moon’s trappings and temptations. The deep purples and pinks turn to black and greenish hues as the song travels.”

They also shared a video for cumbia-inspired first single “Sunrise State (of Mind).” They said, “(Horacio) Bolz and (Edward) Heredia were able to create a video concept that originally incorporated elements of our album artwork and sound. The feeling of weightless-ness and interplanetary discovery permeates through the video beautifully.”

WATCH THE “SUNRISE STATE (OF MIND)” MUSIC VIDEO

PRAISE FOR ABRAXAS

“playful and downright catchy as hell”
– Austin Town Hall

“hazy, trancy soundscape”
– Flood

“charms us with mesmerizing guitar melodies and otherworldly vocals”
– Remezcla

Uruguayan-born Faruolo grew up with the tropical beats of cumbia and the psychedelic flavor of classic chicha artists, and it became her mission to infuse those sunny influences in her work as a UK musician. Blackwell’s work under the Night Beats handle involves the fusion of outlaw soul and R&B with a resourceful DIY spirit. Despite the apparent contrast in their styles, the two musicians bonded over their reverence for Selena and Sade, exemplars of the humid pulse and sultry spirit of their respective approaches. As Abraxas, their distinctive musical perspectives created a sound that encompassed the tropicalia of Os Mutantes, the scrappy songwriting of Cleaners From Venus, and the trippy production of Lee “Scratch” Perry, though the duo is quick to assert that they were finding their own distinctive voices rather than adhering to pre-existing stylistic codes and constraints. And indeed, Monte Carlo feels rooted in tradition but blossoms into its own unique timbres and vibrations.

Monte Carlo opens with “Sunrise State (of Mind),” where a hypnotic cumbia beat serves as the bedrock for cosmic guitar leads, hazy choral melodies, and Blackwell’s seductive vocals. From there, the album continues its steady Latin pulse on “Mañana,” a perfect soundtrack to feverish nights in dancehalls, sipping on caipirinhas and sharing cigarettes with strangers on the dancefloor. Across its twelve tracks, Monte Carlo unfurls a myriad of exotic influences, from the Eastern melodies and guitar trills on “Sultan,” through the dub-inflected stomp and scorching fuzz of “La Estampida,” and on to the Anatolian psych-funk of album closer “Göbekli Tepe.”

Blackwell recorded his contributions with the assistance of engineer Chris Maciel at his studio the 22nd Dimension in Pomona, California and Faruolo recorded her parts in Manchester, England at Brunswick Mill. While Abraxas conceived their material in bedrooms and studios six timezones apart, the music on Monte Carlo sounds like a live band in the throes of an ecstatic performance. And Abraxas plans to make the live incarnation of the band a reality when conditions allow for it. Until then, listeners can bask in the invented world of Abraxas and all its exotic and enticing splendor across the twelve tracks of Monte Carlo. Suicide Squeeze Records is proud to present Monte Carlo to the world on digital and vinyl formats.