Browsing through the credits of the first full-length album by Valparaiso, Chile’s guitar-wielding trio Adelaida, one can read that Jack Endino recorded and mixed two songs. Endino is the producer that handled Nirvana’s debut album Bleach, as well as many grunge records from the era. This serves as a hint of what to expect from Madre Culebra.
The music Adelaida practices is indeed indebted to many sounds from the 90s’ Alternative Nation. Swirling guitars are featured in many songs, while others are harder edged and more to the point. Creepy crawly “Metamorphosis” will give you throwback grunge vibes from some of the heavier acts of that style, while “Holograma” rocks with textured guitars reminiscent of shoegaze bands like Ride or Lush. “Cerbatana,” on the other hand, features an unstoppable stoner rock riff that will have you moshing wherever you find yourself listening to the song. It’s psychedelic but melodic music with excursions into heavy riffing territory.
While many of the sounds and influences they have seem to all come from the U.S. and the U.K, there’s a Cono Sur rock feeling that is all over their songs, especially in the melodies. Often they resemble a more emotive, ultra melodic, noisier, and harder rocking Dynamo-era Soda Stereo. Another aspect that makes them stand out from the pack is that although they handle dream pop guitars, they never venture to abstract territory; in fact, their sounds are dirtier than most artists who call themselves shoegaze. Adelaida sound like they are more concerned with banging their heads than looking at their sneakers all day long.