MONTAÑERA
Shares new single “Tú – El Borde de Mi Arista“
Album ‘A Flor de Piel’ out November 17th on Western Vinyl
Show at London’s Southbank Centre on November 30th
Singer-songwriter and composer María Mónica Gutiérrez (aka Montañera) shares the second single from her forthcoming album ‘A Flor de Piel’, which is set for release on November 17th via Western Vinyl. She has also been confirmed to play a free show at London’s Southbank Centre on November 30th.
‘A Flor de Piel’ is a meditative journey of self-discovery across oceans, time, and the traditional confines of genre. Originally from Bogota, Colombia, Gutiérrez began the album as a way to explore her identity after a difficult move to London for school left her feeling untethered and alone in a strange new place. The daunting 5,000 mile journey over a seemingly endless ocean, sparked the beginning of a metamorphosis, imparting her with a new understanding of herself as an artist, and as a human being. Throughout the album Gutiérrez examines the immigrant’s experience through a rich sonic lens inspired by sources as disparate as traditional Colombian and Senegalese music, contemporary ambient and experimental production, and whalesong from the depths of the Atlantic.
Following the thematically transformative single/video “Un Día Voy A Ser Mariposa”(One Day I’ll Be A Butterfly), now she shares “Tú – El Borde de Mi Arista”. It features delicate electronic production, intimate vocals with enigmatic swells throughout.
Emerging synth notes and the sublime ambience commence and are carefully panning in the progression to move across the speakers and sweep through the audience’s world. Montañera’s delicate vocal harmonies join the minimalist textures to begin and the track just oozes this stirring attribute. The track moves, the notes pierce the tender formation and then Montañera laces the composition with a reintroduction to softness and a brief silence, then the intensity once again dynamically shifts. The tender vocal harmonies have their moments to shine through the landscape as the release journeys to it’s cathartic finale.
Using skilfully restrained synths and electronic textures, ‘A Flor de Piel’ triumphs by re-contextualising traditional sounds and sentiments into something fresh, urgent, and pulsing with life. It’s a fitting representation of Montañera’s personal struggles, while also echoing universal truths, as she summons the strength of past generations, to emerge as a phoenix full of hope and potential. As she describes it, “The album has accompanied me through inner journeys of finding myself in a new territory — of redefining myself, of remembering who I am — in a strange place.” As we drift towards an uncertain future, perhaps Montañera’s ‘A Flor de Piel’ is exactly what we need: a deep well of strength, to bring us peace, and to accompany our own journey into the unknown.
A Flor de Piel will be released on November 17th via Western Vinyl. Pre-order here.
‘A Flor de Piel’ track list:
A Flor de Piel
Vestigios
Santa Mar
Tú – El Borde de Mi Arista
Como Una Rama
Bajar
Me Suelto al Riesgo
Un Día Voy A Ser Mariposa
Cruzar
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