Photo by Carlos Garcia
New York City's Angélica Garcia just released a pair of singles: "Y Grito" and "El Que." The press release for these two songs describes her as a "pop auteur," and I couldn't describe her better. While "Y Grito" is more heavy and fast paced (and less than a minute and a half long), and "El Que" is more chill and rambling, both songs fit a certain ethos. Garcia has created a certain style of art pop that has a strong basis in hip hop without fully being hip hop. There are elements of other genre rebelling artists here, such as Bjork, Tori Amos, Lauryn Hill, and Kate Bush. Neither of these songs sound anything like any of the artists I mentioned, it's more the spirit and inventiveness Garcia displays. "Y Grito" and "El Que" get more and more mindblowing the longer you listen, so buckle up for these two songs.
Angélica Garcia says of her two new singles:
“Grito’ is a verb, so I wanted 'Y Grito' to feel like action. That’s why there’s such a presence of drums and voices belting. 'El Que' is also a specific inner monologue that I have navigated most of my life. Keeping myself and my body safe as a woman is such a careful dance that I often play out in my head, like a lion tamer facing a lion. The vocals were done in one take, and the performance required so much of my energy I couldn’t sing for two days afterwards. The chorus gets its power from all the backing voices coming in to support me from another realm, and it’s where I name the danger. When you’re exorcizing a demon, you have to call it by its name.”
You can watch the videos for "Y Grito" and "El Que" below. The two singles are out now via Partisan Records. For more on Angélica Garcia, check out the artist on Instagram and Facebook.
"Y Grito"
