Juana Molina: “Rara”
I am generally a fan of the stuff that Argentinean artist Juana Molina puts out, so I was excited to hear that she’ll be releasing her first album in five years this fall on October 29 (can’t believe that it has been so long since 2008’s Un Dia). The first track off of Wed 21 “Rara” is now available for streaming. Like Molina’s past work, “Rara” is composed entirely of strands that the artist records individually and intertwines into a complex sonic palette. The result is on the surface a tranquil pop song, though underneath the façade you can pick out the nuances of Molina’s instrumental and electronic flourishes. According to Molina’s press release, some of the new material will come “as close to a pop song format and to a full band sound as [Molina] ever did,” so it will be interesting to see how the rest of the tunes pan out. I am hoping that a fuller sound doesn’t come at the expense of the uniqueness that makes Molina’s tunes so interesting, though judging by “Rara” there isn’t that much to worry about.
— Jon