Somewhere between lofi sound experiments and dreamy bedroom punk lies A/C Repair School – a collaborative project by vocalist Carolina Simionato (soft verges) and multi-instrumentalist Rafael de Toledo Pedroso. Teaming up for this debut album – Órfãs, presented by the amazing Grimalkin Records.
Órfãs caught my attention immediately – with it’s warm and fuzzy atmosphere and heart-on-it’s-sleeve presentation. It’s quite an emotional listen if you let yourself succumb to the energies. Many tracks sound as if they were written, performed and recorded out of sheer melancholic frustration – which is just one reason why the word *punk* is so applicable.
The raw, human atmosphere brings to mind some kind of dystopian high-life sound. Trapped inside a room while the over-industrialized world churns away – left to watch it all unfold through a dirty window. Pressed into commentary – whether direct or abstract – which is about as punk as you can get without enlisting a few crusty guitarists and a drummer who never shows up to gigs.
As for the style of the sound itself – imagine J Dilla and Trish Keenan of Broadcast met one afternoon for a cup of coffee, they threw a VHS copy of The Holy Mountain on the CRT and sat down to jam – you only had your Samsung flip-phone with you to record, but you needed to capture the memory….
Beautiful and expressive vocals resting on wandering freeform beats, laced with dissonance and texture as washed out electric pianos and drum machines propel the tracks forward. Daybreak na cova da piedade might be my favorite track, perfectly encapsulating the style I described above – and a song that sticks in my head long after the album has finished playing.
There is also a potent DIY vibe to this one – in no small part due to the release by Grimalkin Records, who always do a stellar job with their releases. No matter if you get the digital release or opt for one of the physical cassettes or 10″ lathe cuts – the album comes with a plethora of bonus goodies – including stickers, open source picture series, an entire bonus album, and much more. I adore this kind of attention to detail and additional content – not only does it encourage listeners to purchase and support, but it gives us more reason to return for more…
I could go on about this one, but perhaps it’s best you just experience it yourself. It’s available now via Bandcamp – I encourage you to have a listen and consider supporting the artists and the collective on a whole.
Eternity Tree 