Here's a recent release from one of my favorites, the Colombian band Monsieur Periné. Catalina García sings of the comforts of home, away from the world's insanity: An old street dog who followed her home and has now settled in. A small garden (in which to grow "something to smoke" every six months). The pleasures of taking in the sun, running without shoes, dancing in the rain. Guest singer Pedro Capó joins in to list other small blessings: a smile and a cup of coffee, the companionship of someone you love.
All this creates an oasis of simple things—a dreamlike parallel existence free from the toxic hierarchies and dehumanizing systems that plague us. Aquí no hay reyes ni tampoco dueños: here there are neither kings nor owners. Lo material es lo segundo, el amor es lo primero, García sings (as she scritches the dog dozing adorably on her lap). And here music is vital, as made clear in a couple of lovely lines: Se cultiva el canto con canciones / para alimentar los corazones. Singing is cultivated with songs, in order to nourish hearts.
There is, too, an admission of fragility: no me saque de la onda que tengo—don't take me off this wave I'm on. But all waves must eventually collapse into the wider, wilder sea, or crash on the shore. What's left, hopefully, is what's been cultivated with music and with love: the seeds for a better world.
Lyrics (and the usual awkward translation) here.
BONUS: I recommend this profile in Rolling Stone, for more about the song and the band.
And here are a couple more of my favorite Monsieur Periné songs. "Nuestra Canción" beautifully showcases the band's modern-yet-old-timey charm (and their distinctive sartorial aesthetic):
And the video for "Veneno" features scenes of the band on tour, prefaced by García explaining their inspiring ethos. In translation: "All human beings come from the same heartbeat. The heart is the symbol of life, and its sound is what unites us to it. So when we make music we search for what is deepest and most essential; connecting in order to love, to heal, and to be free is our way of honoring and celebrating that we are alive." Words to live by.
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Listen to the Spotify playlist here.
Watch the YouTube playlist here.