The music industry as we know it often revolves around the same ol’ hubs — the United States, the UK, Australia, Japan, the Caribbeans… that weird Austrian deejay you caught on a Coachella camp stage at 4am… but what is often overlooked is the mass amount of talent coming out of Latin America.
Indeed, LATAM has a thriving music scene, spanning nominal bands across genres worthy of ears at large — whether or not said ears can understand Spanish. One such band is alt rockers Cabeza de Vinil (or for us northerners, ‘Vinyl Head’), based out of Costa Rica and signed to Long Beach Records LATAM (or for us northerners, the spicy new branch of that one Long Beach record label started by that one guy who produced Sublime and that other guy in Perro Bravo back in ’98).
With a laundry list of notable acts aboard, LBR LATAM is riding its success waves all the way to the United States, with bands like Non-Neutral –kicking off their summer tour in Hermosa Beach on August 21st — and Cabeza de Vinil, with their “Ruinas” single causing ripples across the continent.
And “Ruinas” goes from nada to a lotta — RÁPIDO.
Starting misleadingly soft, the track accelerates like a canon at around the 20-second mark, with vocals commanding your attention over an incredibly intense bass line. That bass doesn’t walk, it double backflips. With guitar strums and drums keeping the beat, Cabeza de Vinil tee up a dramatic rock ballad — with pure catharsis at the chorus. You don’t need to be a fluent Spanish speaker to understand this song comes for blood; you can feel the pain behind its emotional lyric delivery and edgy instrumentation.
Recorded and mastered at the LBR LATAM studio, “Ruinas” is yet another example of the band’s (and the label’s) musical prowess — now available on all digital outlets! To celebrate the single, Cabeza de Vinil performs Casa Felix in Costa Rica on August 8th, joined by fellow rock band Full Disposition. Check them out if you’re in the area, but for those of us stuck far away from the tropical paradise CBV calls home, make sure to follow the band on social outlets to see when they might be traveling to a town (or country) near you.
Cabeza de Vinil – “Ruinas” official visualizer
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Disclaimer: All views presented in this album review are those of the reviewer and not necessarily those of Top Shelf Music.
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