It’s been almost a year since we last heard from the Chilean psych duo of Daniel Bande and Ángelo Santa Cruz, but the wait is over. They’ve released a brand new EP with a sound that sometimes feel close to their roots but often veers in a completely different direction.
There’s nothing wrong with a band stretching their legs and doing something you might not expect. Sure, most artists who drop their original sound for a radical new direction tend to get the cold shoulder from the fans; but Nueva Costa make the most of their new-found love for synthesizers. Delicia, Lados B is a companion instrumental EP to the recently-released, trip-hopadelic EP Aves Del Paraíso. Delicia is composed of three pieces, chunes that have been edited down by the band to make them more digestible until the arrival of their next full length later in 2015.
In contrast to their last album El Gran Espíritu, Nueva Costa drop their West Coast hippie and Velvet Underground roots for something relatively more modern. Opening number “Cáncer Del Cobre” is a kinetic, soulful piece of music that retains their psychedelic flavor, adding a few warm synths; “Aqua Regis Jam” sounds just like its title suggests, a highly skilled and entertaining improv session that showcases the band’s more traditional side. On the last track, “Isla De Los Pensamientos,” the synths are the main fuel for their groovier effort.
Delicia, like most of Nueva Costa’s discography, was handmade and released on cassette by Discos Volante from Argentina – but you can also listen to it on the internet. We were already hooked on their old sound, but Nueva Costa has given us a whole new perspective on their approach, and our attention is all theirs.