We’re stoked to help premiere Tall Juan’s latest release, Atlantico, on Allston Pudding today! The album, which dropped yesterday, is short in length, but over the span of its twenty-two minutes, the group packs a lot of exciting, upbeat, and romantic lyrics and energies into its eight songs. Fusing influences that span the Latin American and Caribbean subcontinent, Atlantico has Tall Juan combining styles like salsa, reggae, cumbia, Brazilian popular music, Argentinian rock, as well as South African music, with their own ideas to create a blend of an album that is every bit as upbeat as it is passionate. It proudly wears its influences on its sleeve, but it also has many things of its own to offer to its audience.
Tall Juan is no stranger to the site—when we last saw the project, they premiered a live session of Atlantico’s opening track, “Rocio,” from the comfort of their living room. The group has a reputation for taking their already incredible songs and imbuing them with heaps of infectious energy, resulting in performances anyone would kill to see, no matter the venue. According to Juan, the song was written as far back as 2017 before he wrote the rest of the album over the course of that year, and out of all the songs on the album, “Rocio” is the song he “most enjoyed writing and recording.” Indeed, if “Rocio’s” catchy South African influences looked fun to dance to just from that session alone, the studio version is every bit as a jolly good listen.
Though listeners certainly have other songs on Atlantico to look forward to. Immediately following “Rocio,” audiences can enjoy the mix of jazz and reggae in “Don’t Come”, its centerpiece being an instrumental breakdown occurring a little over halfway into the song. And just before the album comes to a close with a piano-centered refrain of the opening track, “Los Chicos” will no doubt win over listeners with its Latin American folk sensibilities, along with a dash of pop; it’s a very enthusiastic and inviting track.
Dancing and singing along to this album’s many influences, as well as its soothing, yearning words, may seem like it can’t be done at first, seeing as it is not a long listen, but that can be easily fixed by putting this release on repeat. And listeners will want to put this album on repeat. In this time of social distancing and having to stay at home, we’ll need as many albums as possible that can keep us in good spirits, and Atlantico, with its inspirations and emotions, is sure to provide just that, as well as maybe inspire a dance party or two.
Stream Atlantico via bandcamp below.