To call Helado Negro a “singer/songwriter” makes him sound like a
coffee-shop acoustic guitar strummer, which is right. But he does
write songs and sing them, so it’s technically right, but let’s
add “producer" in there just to prepare you for “Outside the Outside,” the heartbreakingly beautiful, loungey new single from
his new album Far In, out on
Oct. 22 on 4AD.
I don’t know if it's the latest round of society’s pandemic-induced regression, but the
video is really connecting today; give it a watch:
You feeling that?
Put together from home video footage from Helado Negro—born Roberto
Lange—shot during one his family’s countless house parties in
South Florida in the ‘80s.
“My
family came to this country as outsiders looking for and finding
community,” Lange
stated via press release.
“People would come to
our house and bond through music, food and dancing. They usually
began at 8 p.m. and lasted until 5 a.m. ...I
found space through music and outsiders finding each other.”
It hits! Combined with the live performance of the album’s “Gemini and Leo,” Far In so far seems to have hit the sweet spot where hooks and textures and emotional resonance all hit in harmony, reinforcing each other, breaking this reviewer's heart.
Pre-order Far In right here, including a special rose-quartz vinyl via Vinyl Me Please.
