Following up her 2020 long playing debut ‘acts of rebellion’, Colombian artist and producer Ela Minus presents ‘DIA’.
Having been weaned on FUGAZI and played in hardcore punk bands, she gradually drifted towards synthesizers as they allowed her to work alone and more swiftly. Recorded all around the world in various hotels and rented rooms, ‘DIA’ is an album about becoming and self-discovery that collectively asks where we go from here?
While the politically charged ‘acts of rebellion’ was exemplified by the minimal avant technopop and IDM of songs such as ‘they told us it was hard, but they were wrong’, ‘el cielo no es de nadie’ and ‘megapunk’, Ela Minus has sonically expanded her sound into something more rugged.
Originating from a rented cabin in the mountains of Mexico and titled after a phrase commonly used in Colombia referring to the act of opening paths through dense foliage, ’ABRIR MONTE’ provides an esoteric drone instrumental that segues into the precise uplifting electronic pop statement of ‘BROKEN’; building towards being rhythmic and trance-like, this is an anthem about enduring suffering that belies its euphoric qualities as our heroine questions “how did we end up here?”
Loving her drones and strident keys, ‘IDOLS’ shuffles along as Ela Minus offers her afflicted expressions in the manner of Karins Dreijer and Park. Meanwhile the noisier ‘IDK’ throws forward a distorted wall of kerrang and although it will not be for everyone, the end result is nothing short of spirited.
Photo by Alvaro Ariso
Playing with creative distortion further, this time also on the vocals, ‘QQQQ’ percolates along in a jagged cacophony but ‘I WANT TO BE BETTER’ eases off the distortion slightly and builds to an arty rhythmic intensity that recalls FEVER RAY before the thumping thrill of ‘ONWARDS’ does battle with drops galore and tuning signals acting as hooks.
‘UPWARDS’ springs a surprise among its unsettling swoops and frantic beats as rather incongruously but enjoyably, the main vocal topline recalls ‘Brand New Key’ by Melanie from 1971; it all brings an unusual counterpoint to the fierce cut ‘n’ thrust of the punk-influenced techno backdrop.
A song of resilience, ‘COMBAT’ presents another surprise in a beautiful cinematic ballad in the vein of IONNALEE that makes a fitting closer and eschews the beats and distortion, replacing them with a wonderfully layered dose of angelic magic.
With ‘DIA’, Ela Minus has revealed even more of herself. But while there is broader palette of sonic experimentation and dynamic variation to make a generally more forthright record than its predecessor, there are also catchy choruses that provide a pop immediacy amongst the deeper lyrical expression. This indeed captures her life so far.
‘DIA’ is released on 17 January 2025 by Domino Recordings on red vinyl, black vinyl, CD and digitally.
Ela Minus plays the following 2025 EU + UK live dates opening for CARIBOU:
Paris Zenith (3 February), Luxembourg Rockhal (4 February), Utrecht Tivoli (5 February), London Roundhouse (6-8 February), Leeds O2 Academy (9 February), Bristol Beacon (10 February), Brussels Ancienne Belgique (11-12 February), Berlin Velodrom (14 February)
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Text by Chi Ming Lai
14 January 2025
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