MKRNI (pronounced “macaroni”) laid the foundation for their successful career with danceable rhythms and vintage instrumentation. As its title suggests, their fourth album Canciones was their first attempt in using pop structures and melodies, with great results. And now, with their latest full-length – and debut on Pirotecnia – the Chilean trio found a middle ground between the styles they’ve made theirs so far. 2017’s Hiperrealidad reclaims the optimism found in the futuristic stylings of 70s and 80s genres like synth-pop, techno, and prog rock, refreshed with contemporary production but threaded with enough nostalgia to draw out the melancholy within us.
Hiperrealidad’s second single, “Una Vuelta Más,” stands out from the rest of the album tracks for its connection with current musical trends. It’s a vibrant, dancehall-fueled song punctuated by bouncy guitar licks and playful synths which wrap around singer Elisita Punto’s voice, as she sings about young love in a fleeting moment during the earth’s eternal spin.
The song’s music video, premiering exclusively on Remezcla, further develops both the song lyrics and the band’s retro-futurist tendencies. The anime-inspired adventure, created by Brisa Films’ Simón Jarpa together with Carmen Carreño, features a couple of fugitive lovers on a forbidden date, escaping the authorities by leaving the universe altogether.
“We love the imaginary that unfolds, since it complements what’s not described in the song, and it proposes a theory for how to cross dimensions,” says Punto about the link between “Una Vuelta Más” and its video. “The escape from reality occurs in a tagada; you can enter another dimension by looking into each other’s eyes while it spins out of control.”
Beyond the romance and sci-fi framing, what’s most evocative and heart-wrenching about the visuals is the backdrop: an idealized portait of Santiago de Chile and some of its most iconic places, from the Santa Ana bridge and Plaza Italia, to the Telefonica Tower and Fantasilandia, a beloved amusement park rebranded “MKRNIA” in the video, where the protagonists finally realize their master plan. Punto explains, “It’s exciting to see these landscapes; seeing common places that represent us and generate nostalgia and endearment. From Santiago de Chile to the world.”
Hiperrealidad is out now on Pirotecnia.