Vanessa Zamora is not someone who can stay idle for too long, and that’s great news for us. In the past few months, she gave us the trippy “Psilocibina,” an electronic flip version of “Psilocibina” recorded during quarantine, and “Te Choca Te Checa,” a soulful collaboration with Colombian crooner Jona Camacho. Now, she has found the sweet spot right in the middle of those two styles with her brand new single “Ayer,” which she’s already calling our “new favorite queer anthem.”
With help from producer and Technicolor Fabrics member Dan Solo, the Tijuana singer-songwriter rides a ridiculously smooth R&B groove with her lovely, breezy voice, managing to bend it just enough to capture the frustration of coming to terms with a love fantasy that failed to materialize.
“Has vuelto y no estás sola/ Despierto y no te tengo porque estás con ella,” she sings on the chorus, and the image is heartbreaking. The dream of being with a girl crush with whom she has a soul connection isn’t translating to real life and it’s killing her, and she prints that very same feeling on the psych-inspired guitar solo she performs.
The song’s accompanying music video is directed by Vertov The Noise and produced by Fer Casillas. Using simple images in cold pale colors, video filters, and textures, the video manages to capture the rough emotions exuded by the song, and it features probably the best use of plastic bags for aesthetic purposes. This is indeed one queer anthem we needed.