Chilean singer-songwriter Rulo has unveiled his latest single “Dispara,” a noir-inspired bolero enlisting superstar and queen of Latin American cabaret drama, Mon Laferte. Together the pair weave a tale of uncertain romance, where a single misstep or misspoken word could potentially trigger a series of events ending their tenuous entanglement. The track is loving but painful, hypnotic but tense; stepping up the drama from Rulo’s usually folksy songwriting style and furthering Laferte’s journey back from the genre experimentation of her Norma album, which took her into the realms of bachata and mambo.
Rulo (a.k.a. David Eidelstein) first came to prominence as bassist for Chilean funk band Los Tetas, later embarking on a critically acclaimed solo career after their disbandment in 2016. He released his debut album Vendaval shortly after. The record cast him in a wholly new light, trading his recognizable funk and hip-hop bass lines for earnest songwriting and melodies rooted in Peruvian waltz and Chilean cueca brava. Climbing through the ranks of the Chilean scene, Mon Laferte took notice of the rising singer and invited him to join her on stage at Festival de Viña del Mar in 2017, and again at Lollapalooza Chile in 2018, developing a strong friendship and musical bond in the process. Rulo has since become a member of Laferte’s live band, taking over as bassist and touring extensively with the superstar in support of her most recent studio album Norma.
The chemistry they have developed over the years is evident in the Tiago Correa-directed video for “Dispara,” where long stares and romantic hand gestures convey the high, and potentially devastating, stakes of a love that may or may not be reciprocated. Dramatic lighting and a fleet of dancers exquisitely choreographed by Brigitte Kattan enhance the video’s noir film atmosphere, where Laferte plays the femme fatale with a guarded heart and Rulo is the powerlessly smitten lead. Co-produced by Rulo and Cristobal Carvajal, “Dispara” is the second single off Rulo’s forthcoming EP, following the melancholy electronic cueca of “Las Cartas” and likely to hit the airwaves in its entirety before the end of the year.