José Carlos Rodríguez I
Santiago de Compostela (EFE).- After almost six years without publishing a studio album, the Galician band Ataque Escampe returns with “Cabalgata”, a “collaborative” album that involves a “musical search or inquiry” between past and present; always faithful to the most eclectic and varied pop, with rhythms that go through funk, rock or hip hop.
“The songs are not the ones that rule, the reality that you have around you rules. It is difficult to do something on purpose, in the end it comes out on its own, ”he explains in an interview with Efe Cibrán Tenreiro, the group’s drummer.
Ataque Escampe has been around for 15 years and in all that time the formation has undergone several changes. The band, made up of five musicians of different sensibilities, went on hiatus after the publication in 2019 of their EP “A alma”. Then the pandemic arrived and although in 2021 they took to some stages, they have dedicated most of the last few years to composing and producing their latest work, an album in which friendship and care are more present than ever.
“The idea of friendship, of human relationships, the idea of affection, of loving each other was very present. Also the fragility of society. No one expected society to be so fragile. Then there were crises and wars and in the face of that fragility, the only way to alleviate the pain is care”, explains Samuel Solleiro (guitar and choirs).
However, he acknowledges that the band’s new work, “Cabalgata”, is not “too conceptual” and that it is rather a mixture of “very varied” songs that start from a “musical search” that looks to the past “without nostalgia ” but trying to “reconnect” with different styles and “do something new”.
“In the beginning, when we were preparing the record and talking about what we wanted to do, some of us said that we wanted to make the happiest record in the world, while others wanted to make a sad, dark and depressing record. In the end it was neither one thing nor the other, ”he adds.
Disc “varied”
The truth is that “Cabalgata” is a bit of everything. After the publication of the first singles, such as “Lamborghini”, “Viaxamos a Miami” or “Cabaliño lento”, the Compostela band launches this Tuesday a work with elements ranging from hip hop, disco and hi-NRG to synth-funk.
“When it comes to recording a long album, you need time to listen to new music and find something different to say. If not, the same thing will always work out for you, what you have on automatic pilot”, points out Miguel Mosqueira, another of the band’s guitarists.
In this search for musical styles, Ataque Escampe looks to the past and vindicates styles that were in fashion but were fleeting, such as no wave or American rap from the 90s to create a record in which “new sounds” emerge through the introduction of synthesizers or drum machines.
“There is a more global weight of the synthesizers to the detriment of the guitars in some songs”, affirms Cibrán, who points out that the producer of the record, Hevi, oriented and encouraged them to introduce these elements.
“There is a tension between the machines and the organic,” adds Miguel.
Horses in your imagination
Another of the peculiarities of “Cabalgata” is its imaginary, which plays with the “multiple” idea of the horse, an animal that arose “almost spontaneously”.
“Horses appear in various situations. It almost takes on a special, ghostly aura, because it is an abstract horse. When it comes to putting a title, we look for the “cavalcade” variant, which also opens up to a sense of childishness, of search, exploration, mystery and excitement”, he explains.
In addition to the five musicians, in “Cabalgata” the musical artist Antía Ameixeiras collaborates on the song “Cociña práctica”. Also some of the members of the Lalín band, who although they do not appear on the album, do appear in one of the video clips and will also accompany Ataque Escampe at their album presentation concert on April 29 at the Sala Capital of Santiago.
“Bands are very important at parties in Galicia. But it is very unlikely that they will play places like the Capitol Room. They are somewhat closed spaces and we were excited to break that wall a bit and bring an unusual show to a room”, says Samuel.
After the presentation concert of their new album in Santiago, the band will also perform in Abadín (Lugo), within the framework of the Rumboia Viva festival; in Fene (A Coruña) and in Barcelona, waiting for more concerts to be confirmed.
“We want to try to move as much as we can in the following months and start the tour of the album starting in autumn”, concludes Cibrán. EFE