Skip to main content

Album Review: Borito - ‘What We Have Now’

by Olive McCoy

In a world that has been torn apart by global challenges that have left many feeling helpless, Tel Aviv band Borito’s first independent release ‘What We Have Now’ showcases the sweeter side of life. This intrinsically summery album takes its listeners to a recent and fondly remembered past of warm nights and comfortable intimacy.

The reminiscent nature of the album is accentuated by heady, breathy vocals and distorted guitar, particularly on tracks ‘Sugar’ and ‘Face’. Conversely, light, synth melodies induce a certain nostalgia in tracks such as ‘Nice & Slowly’. The entire album feels as though it is devoted to its own sentimentality, emulating bands that were in their height in the mid-00s such as The Vaccines and the Kooks. Despite what could be seen as a rehash of commonly touched upon themes, the album is utterly fresh. The essence of the hottest summer nights. Playful and warm, the piece does what it sets out to do and “celebrates the sweetness of life that can be easily forgotten”. The lyrics are memorable and ultimately fun to listen to, helped along by strong drum beats that make way for pronounced rhythms and choruses that can be sung with friends after the first listen. The album feels almost bittersweet at times, though, a form of escapism that is almost too close to reality, what last year could have been.

The sleepier tracks are warm and transportive, like swimming in honey. Almost psychedelic. Listeners can get carried away in the soft chord progressions and lightly reverbed melodies. Closeness and fleeting romance are at the centre of this album. The narrative set up in ‘Song for Dawn’, illustrates how the heat of summer can cloud our judgement. There is a childlike innocence and wonder to the album, that makes the genre hard to pin down, leaving Borito to be enjoyed by any and everyone. Wonderfully danceable, uplifting and arena-friendly this is an album that is best enjoyed with friends.


Borito succeed in painting a bright and colourful picture of modern life that will be a comfort to many, while also taking us to times past. Employing influences from a multitude of decades, including the 60s, 80s and 90s. Due to the eclectic nature of the album, it feels outside of time and phantasmagoric. Each song is a snapshot of summer, episodic and light-heated, from sharing secrets with a lover on a warm night to the heartache of realising one’s feelings are not reciprocated. The cumulative effect of these being an album that feels like an escape to listen to. Lightly melancholic, tinged with the sadness of last year yet still maintains its breezy and light identity. It is evident that Borito are enamoured by the idea of summer and the tangible mysticism it brings in tow, to listen to ‘What We Have Now’ is to be enveloped in that magic, and to be taken away from the everyday life that so often disappoints us, and leaves us yearning for more.

Watch the 'Song For Dawn' Video Below:



Comments

Post a Comment

Most Popular

‘Make Tattooing Safe Again’: Sheffield Based Tattoo Artist Exposed for Indecent Behaviour

 by Emily Fletcher TW: SA, Animal Abuse, Transphobia Photo Credit: @ meiko_akiz uki Recently, an  Instagram account  has been created to provide a  ‘space to safely give a voice to those who want to speak out about the behaviour of one, Sheffield based tattoo artist’. A  total of 40+ posts have been made by the above social media account regarding  one of Sheffield's most popular tattoo artists .  Thankfully, all posts are prefaced with a Content Warning prior to sharing screenshots of the messages that have been sent anonymously to the page. The majority of Content Warnings refer to sexual behaviour, abuse, and sexual assault. It is clear that there is a reoccurring theme within each submission, as many clients appear to have had the same experiences with the tattoo artist. Women, mostly, are being made to feel uncomfortable while being tattooed. One of the most vulnerable positions anyone can be in, tattoo artists should make their clients feel comfortable and safe during the pro
Post a Comment
Read more

Eurydice’s Last Words

by Kate Bradley I do not want to return To sit in the stalls, Of an empty black box Strewn with petals Leave the ghost light on, Let it shine like a call home, But I will not come back To turn it off alone. I learn this as we walk Our ever so solemn path Our thudding funeral march, You think we’re going back. As I trace my old steps, I fear of the day When the symphony swells, And I land my gaze On you, yet you will be Enraptured by the sound, If you did twist To turn around, You would not see me. So I am not sorry, I speak out into the empty air And I am not sorry. “Turn Around.” You do, you look You think  I fall But I run on, Arms wide open To fall in love With it all “Perhaps she was the one who said, ‘Turn around.” On the X45 bus, back from the Tyneside Cinema, I wrote a poem entitled “Eurydice’s Final Words”, after having seen “Portrait of a Lady on Fire”.  That poem was terrible, so I wrote a new one, as my response to the beautifully poignant film.  In one scene, Héloïse, an 18
Post a Comment
Read more

Single Review: ‘Tell Me’ - Jay Moussa-Mann

by Ilana Hawdon The feeling of pure betrayal and heartbreak is perfectly captured in Jay Moussa-Mann’s latest single, ‘Tell Me’. Jay Moussa-Mann is the folk dream we have been waiting for. A favourite on BBC Introducing, Radio 6 and BBC Radio Tees, Jay ’s sound is easy on the ears but delightfully addictive. With a background in writing and film, she began her solo musical venture when she released her debut album, ‘Little Deaths’ in late-2019, and since then, Moussa-Mann has defined herself as an artist with unbelievable range and promise.    ‘Tell Me’ is completely timeless; with notes of Carole King and Joni Mitchell, Moussa-Mann creates a folk-inspired track which is simultaneously heart wrenching and strangely empowering. Beginning as a simple guitar tune, ‘Tell Me’ builds with layers of luscious strings and twinkling piano, tied together with Jay ’s vocal line which is equal parts melancholic and divine. The song feels unwaveringly intimate; the lyrics ask, ‘what was I worth?’
Post a Comment
Read more