In Latin America, it’s common for talented independent artists to be perpetually cast as “emerging.” Not because they don’t take their craft seriously, but because after producing such great material, their audiences often assume that a record deal can’t be far behind. Instead, these artists often struggle every time they want to put out new material.
Take Zopilot as an example. They’ve been making walls tremble with their distinctive sound since the days of “Ensalada Mix,” but their live set has always been ahead of their recorded material, because of the aforementioned struggles a band has to go through to make the record they imagine.
With the release of “Sornaca,” their first ever single with vocals, it seems Zopilot are about to finally catch up to their own expectations.
“Sornaca is a prologue for the first Zopilot LP, currently in production,” says a one-liner on their Bandcamp, and the word prologue is key. The song ends with guitarist David Bolaños singing “I crave to find a higher form of communication,” and this lyric could probably have been taken from conversations they’ve been having in the studio.
Zopilot seems to be looking for new ways to express themselves – both spiritually and musically – and the production on their track confirms it. “Sornaca” – a single with vocals – is a big surprise from a band who is usually focused on shaking things up with their instruments. The ultimate surprise? “Sornaca” isn’t even part of the forthcoming LP.
Their first ever LP will contain more tracks with vocals, as well as synthesizers, though. Just what roles each member will play remains to be seen –after all, this is a band where three out of four members sing live and two play keyboards (one of them is the talented Franco Valenciano who also plays with Monte and is usually credited just as “drummer”).
This LP has been seven years in the making. But despite whatever infrastructural obstacles or missing resources they’ve dealt with, Zopilot remains grateful for what they do have: a caring audience ready to hear their next endeavor.
“Sornaca” is one hell of a grower. And it’s a step towards the Zopilot we’ve been waiting to hear recorded – the Zopilot that’s not emerging, but one of the finest musical projects in Costa Rica.