Brazilian psychedelic pranksters
Boogarins
began as a basement recording project between two teenage friends, and as they evolved into a more serious band they retained the spirit of playful exploration they'd developed early in their basement days. Fourth album
Sombrou Duvida
follows 2017's somewhat heavy
La Vem a Morte
(Portuguese for "Here Comes Death") and takes a far more lighthearted and experimental approach than their previous album's shadowy tones. Starting with the wobbly notes of album-opener "As Chances,"
dive headfirst into a sound that mixes cleanly played pop structures with acid-washed delays, helium vocals, and other sounds that convert the song into a psychedelic cartoon.
are no strangers to weird production gambits, but throughout
they go to brighter, more carefree places with their warped sounds. Underneath the layers of psychedelia, the band have written some of their strongest songs. "Sombra ou Duvida" is awash with disorienting blasts of noise and dubby echoes, but at its core, the song is a breezy rush of tropical pop. In the hands of a different producer, its catchy hooks could translate into a radio hit. The same is true for the dusky dream pop of "Dislexia ou Transe" and the near-shoegaze languishing of "Nos." Clearly talented songwriters, musicians, and studio explorers,
seem entirely unconcerned with meeting expectations throughout
, even if those expectations are simply "all the parts of the song should be in the same key" or "don't interrupt a perfectly good pop song with a jarring sample." The light attitude and overall fun approach of the album keep the studio trickery from ever completely alienating listeners. Instead,
feels like another strong set of jams with a constant flow of bells and whistles transforming it into a tripped-out daydream. ~ Fred Thomas