If It's Too Loud...

Formerly knows as Manett, Rosa Bordallo has released one final single before her new album comes out at the end of the month. The Guam born and raised and current New York City resident has released "Leavetaking," which is a mesmerizing blend of singer-songwriter, indie pop, and electro-rock. It starts off as a lush, dreamlike song before picking up the pace and becoming a mid-tempo dance track. "Leavetaking" is as stunning as it is dance friendly. It's the type of song that will floor people into simply standing still and listening to take it all in, and make others dance their hearts out. As dance friendly as Bordallo's latest is, it's still about as far away from the Top 40 as a pop based song can get. Rosa Bordallo says of her latest single:   “This song is a callback to the first song on the album, ‘Home’ - but then it veers off into its own universe. It’s a wistful song, but also joyful. And in a weird way about getting older. I don’t think anyone ...

Formerly known as Manett, New York City's Rosa Bordallo has a new single out that continues her bridging indie pop and psychedelic electro-rock. "Crasseux" sees the Guam born singer-songwriter expanding the electronic element of her music. I couldn't say that "Crasseux" is a dance song despite the electronic elements. The song delves a little too far into the psychedelic side of music. Sure, you could dance to it, but I personally wouldn't be able to find the correct rhythm. Instead, Bordallo's latest is more the style of music that is going to make you want to truly pay attention, to both the music and lyrics. This is one of the more fascinating listens we've brought you in a while. Rosa Bordallo says of her latest single: "The opening lyrics describe a scene I imagined from history, when Ferdinand Magellan arrived in the Marianas in 1521. It was the first known contact between Pacific Islanders and Europeans, and the clash of worlds was vi...

Rosa Bordallo (fka Manett) has lived in New York City since she was nineteen. Before that, she is a Chamorro from Guam. She's set to release her second solo album and has released a new single called "I Feel Numb." The new song is an anti-war song, written when Russia first invaded Ukraine. Calling "I Feel Numb" a singer-songwriter track isn't fully explaining it. The song is a blend of indie pop and psychedelic electro-rock. It has a heavy layer of fuzz coating virtually the entire song, which has a surprisingly cinematic quality to it. The song feels like a small epic in both scope and sound. "I Feel Numb" is guaranteed to grab you within the first twenty seconds, and keep you in its auditory grip for another five minutes. You can listen to "I Feel Numb" below. Isidro is due out January 31 on Bad Auntie Records, and is available for pre-order here . For more on Rosa Bordallo, check out the artist on Instagram and TikTok .

Last fall Brooklyn's Rosa Bordallo (formerly known as Manett) released the fantastic Reef Walker. As was the case with many artists, she released a new single on 4/20. "33" is a collaboration with Duane Lauginiger, the producer of Reef Walker  and a member of Birds, another one of our favorite Brooklyn musical artists. "33" is mesmerizing. Bordallo's vocals and Lauginiger's guitars take equal turns in the spotlight and are both required to tell the tale of the song. Her vocals draw you deeper and deeper into the song, while his guitar is what hypnotizes you. It's a mixture of folk singer/songwriter and psychedelia you don't see nearly enough.  You can listen to "33" below. The song is available now via Rosa Bordallo's Bandcamp. For more on Rosa Bordallo, check out her Facebook . 33 by Rosa Bordallo & Duane Lauginiger

Photo  by Varvara Mikushkina CHamoru-American artist Rosa Bordallo has released a final single before next week's release of her solo debut, and "Sleight of Hand" just heightens our excitement for the album. While her previous two singles, "Lost On the Coast" and "Citadel," were simplistically quiet and loud respectively, "Sleight of Hand" is both. It starts out with a shoe-gazey wash of guitars until the guitar drops out to make room for Bordallo's voice. The song meanders between quiet and simple and a droning, buzzy guitar centered rocker. It's a compelling dichotomy that makes us unable to wait for the album release next week. You can listen to "Sleight of Hand" below. Reef Walker , the new album from Rosa Bordallo, will be out October 18 on Time Castle Recordings. You can pre-order a copy via Bandcamp . For more on Rosa Bordallo, check out her Facebook . Reef Walker by Rosa Bordallo

Photo by  Varvara Mikushkina While we loved the gorgeous simplicity of Rosa Bordallo's debut single, "Lost on the Coast," her follow up is decidedly more rock. "Citadel" isn't quite a punk rager, but compared to the previous song this one shreds. Beneath Bordallo's vocals creeps a growling guitar just waiting to be unleashed throughout the song. When it finally does it absolutely tears away, barely in control. The aggression within the song is due to the subject matter. According to Bordallo:    "'Citadel' is about Capitalist vultures in the concrete jungle. A balls-to-the-wall angry eff you to the 1 percenters who suck us dry. I wrote this out of frustration with the myth of New York ('if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere') that attracts bright and ambitious folk who may not realize what they're getting into until it's too late." You can listen to "Citadel" below. Reef Walker , the debut s...

Photo by Varvara Mikushkina Rosa Bordallo has one of the more interesting bios we've encountered in a while. Born of CHamoru heritage and growing up in Guam, Bordallo moved to New York City at 19 for film school. She has played in post punk band cholo and recorded solo under the name Manett. Her upcoming album is the first under her own name. Her heritage inspires her music, as the indigenous CHamoru have been subjected to brutal occupation by Spanish, Japanese, and American forces. Her move to New York also created an intense sense of distance from her birthplace, both geographically and culturally. This is reflected in her latest single, "Lost on the Coast." The song is a gorgeously sparse one. Somehow, despite how lo-fi the song and instrumentation is, it's a lush soundscape. It's quiet and lonely, but somehow hopeful. Even though the song is sparse, it has a deceptively complex arrangement.  You can watch the video for "Lost on the Coast" belo...