Spellling – Mazy Lazy: There’s A New Witch In Town

The Oakland-based musician and visual artist Tia Cabral has released her second album, a collection of 12 songs that evoke sinister and curious images, like the soundtrack of a Tim Burton’s lost movie.

With a distinctive sound, Cabral conjures chill synthesizers to her whispered, mysterious voice. The combination of rhythms creates a childish and terrifying atmosphere as if you were entering a haunted carnival or watching an episode of Goosebumps.

 

The album gives the impression that you are listening to something innovative and very well thought out. A similar feeling as the first time you see Brooke Candy voguing while Grimes sings Genesis with her squirrel voice.

A mix of genres between synth-wave, dream pop, funk, and progressive metal elements makes Mazy Lazy hard to forget after the first listening.

 

Cabral's path to music wasn't exactly conventional. Since she was a child, she had felt attracted towards music, the artist recalls that she used to sing and record her own Talk Show in her little toy karaoke. Once older, Cabral began working as a visual artist focusing on video art. It wasn't until a close friend of her passed away that Cabral felt she should turn her life around and start this musical project that she had imagined for so long.

In September 2018 Cabral released his independent debut 'Pantheon of Me' which was very well received by the critics. Music magazines began to compare her with big names like Solange but it is indisputable that the sound of SPELLING had no comparison with any other artist.

 

“Everyone has a little bit of a switch inside them.” States Cabral in an interview with Pitchfork. And it's actually the first thing that comes to mind when you listen to their music or watch their videos. Cabral evokes an enveloping mysticism from 'Red', the first track of his album that begins with the scratchy sound of vinyl. A few seconds later, very sharp strings and the characteristic synthesizer appear.

The second track, ‘Haunted water' is the one that makes the intentions of all the work very clear. A sound that seems to come from a video game of dungeons is the base of this song that gives voice to the slaves who traveled by boat all over the Atlantic Ocean. Cabral modulates his singing in a slow and tenebrous way as if he were telling a horror story to children.

 

Mazy Lazy is not only limited to exploring dark atmospheres with synthesizers. The album also has soul influences as in the guitars of 'Golden Number' and ‘Real Fun’ and ‘Hard to Please’ is a smooth retro-futuristic R&B song that reminds of Prince and Solange. Mazy Lazy is also loaded with violins, saxophones and even a very circus honk-honk sound appear in the penultimate track 'Secret Thread'.

‘Under The Sun' is definitely the strongest point of the album, with a livelier and almost cheerful sound reminiscent of a new wave song from the '80s, but is making a progression towards a dreamier and deep sound.

 

SPELLLING’s Mazy Lazy will take you on an extrasensory journey, to a 64-bit dimension full of witches, aliens, and ghosts. A place you'll definitely want to go back once the album ends. 

Popnable /Popnable Media