NUDISTA
SHARE TENDER NEW CUT ‘CONFESS’
OUT NOW
VIA SAD CLUB RECORDS
Indie-pop duo nudista come to terms with life and its mundanities on new cut ‘confess’ out now via Sad Club Records. Sewn together by the sweeping guitar lines of Robbie Carman, and the tender vocals of Spanish-born singer Pilar Matji Cabello, ‘confess’ draws on the overwhelming sensations of life, encased within a reassuring and familiar shell. Drawing from the sonic soundscapes of Alvvays, Tennis and Mazzy Star, nudista tell their own reality through innocent and soothing anecdotes, making you feel at home with their haze of hypnotic dreaminess.
Immediately this gentle swaying beat kicks off the proceedings before this charming guitar tone sweeps through the soundscape and identifies its influence which becomes intoxicating throughout the ensemble. That initial tone simmers away and leads the way for the compelling singer to soulfully join the atmosphere and captivate your full attention.
When the instrumentation carefully fades to the background the lead vocals dominate the exploration and bring this intimate sensation within the notes and the tender lyrics. When the drums and guitar later intensify to showcase this powerful transition within the exploration, the agility attaches this brooding power which later collides with the far-reaching vocal harmonies. This is a heavenly arrangement, rich with emotions and soul, these immersive guitar hooks add a wealth of textures to the creation but the sublime craft from Cabello’s flawless range just enhances this personal connection within their vision. A raw release that also offers a vibrant notion, the warmth found in the tone offers a comfort for the audience.
Lead singer Pilar wrote ‘confess’ right before the pandemic escalated, and was feeling overwhelmed with the fast-paced nature of life, feeling creatively disconnected and submerged. Pilar notes “I was coming to terms with life in all its mundanity: working, paying rent, surviving the city, etc and the slow acknowledgement that predictions for life in mid-20s were inaccurate. ‘confess’ is about coming to terms with that process and, eventually, being okay with it – sitting in that feeling, it’s sad but it’s all good.”
Pilar elaborates on how one has to come to accept the rhythm of life in order to keep their head above water. “It’s kind of about me acknowledging that I don’t know how to ‘play’ the game of life and not knowing all of it’s intrinsicate rules that you need to learn, and finding these a bit overwhelming.”
“No one really knows what they are doing. We are all kind of improvising and accepting all of these strange rules that we all need to follow just because we are alive. And that’s it’s okay to feel lost and confused, eventually you start taking things less seriously and it’s been proven if we stop a bit things can become less overwhelming.”
Pilar and Robbie’s musical odyssey started when they met at university in London, since both had musical backgrounds, a fruitful creative partnership developed smoothly. Pilar’s musical ABC’s were learned singing in choirs as a child and were further developed when she picked up a guitar in her teens and taught herself how to play. Before the formation of nudista, Robbie had been in and out of various bands from his teens, all the way through university, which has undoubtedly contributed to the band’s eclectic range of styles. They bonded over a mutual love of Yo La Tengo, Phoebe Bridgers and Neil Young and out of this connection, nudista was formed. Pilar grew up in Spain, but was drawn to London by the gig circuit and burgeoning DIY scene. “I have always loved English bands and folk music. I particularly felt that making music was, for me, something very private and couldn’t be shared, I especially didn’t have any women making music around me who I could relate to and share the experience with.”
Despite the influence of the UK on the group’s stylings, Pilar doesn’t discount the impact that her native Spain has had on nudista’s sonic landscape “Being away from Spain has made me appreciate my heritage and traditional Spanish music, which I love. Our first recordings as a band were done in Madrid and we’ve played a few shows there so we have a very special relationship with Spain”.
‘confess’ was recorded live to tape at Hermitage Studios, an analog space in London owned by Margo Broom. The single was engineered and produced by Joseph Futak, with friends Alberto de la Torre and Kieran Parks contributing to the mix, on bass and drums respectively. The group recorded both live and to tape, which contributed to a major development in the group’s warm and natural sound. “We are really excited about these tracks because we feel they have helped develop our sound as a band and it has been such a collaborative process, working closely with friends to reach a new potential”.
The track is accompanied by a gorgeous music video which you can see above, filmed and edited by lead singer Pilar’s sister (Mercedes). The video sees old VHS footage of their childhood at their grandparents house edited together with new footage of the house empty during lockdown.
“The idea came because I’ve always loved my grandparents house and how it has stayed the same throughout the years, making it such a unique place. I have great memories from the house with my big Spanish family at Christmas with around 40 people in the house. It’s a bit nostalgic as well as we haven’t been able to gather all together this year and the house has been a bit empty, so my grandad has been working on his garden and enjoying the visits from the family, so I really wanted to show this contrast. We are all excited to be able to gather again together and enjoy being surrounded with family!”
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