Rosa Bordallo’s Isidro takes you on an ethereal indie pop journey

Rosa Bordallo is a singer/songwriter and a Chamorro from island of Guam. Since she was 19 years old, she has been living in New York City carving out a unique musical path. Over the years, she has written, recorded and released several albums and EPs solo as well as a member of the indie rock band cholo.   She is now set to unveil her second full length solo album Isidro later this week. This album is a deeply personal work that reflects her passion for music, carrying an emotional vulnerability that resonates through each song, yet providing the perfect blend of indie pop and psychedelic electro-rock.

 

Music has always been a part of her life, she comments,

“Music has always been my outlet, my pressure valve. I was a really shy and awkward kid, but I loved listening to the albums that my older siblings brought back from the [United] States. Artists like Björk, PJ Harvey, David Bowie and Pixies. I wanted to have an impact the way those musicians impacted me, on the other side of the world.”

About the album

It’s the other side of the world that concerns her more and more these days. Her homeland in the Pacific is not just threatened by climate change. The Mariana Islands is one of the most militarized places on the planet – America’s so-called tip of the spear-and the people of Guam are facing yet another buildup of the American military bases that occupy over a third of the island.

“I wrote these songs in 2021 and 2022, in the shadow of the pandemic and New York City’s recovery. I was grieving personal tragedies as well as the collective loss. It was the realization that my ancestors survived their own catastrophic near-demise that gave me perspective. I’m a survivor. We all are.”

Bordallo composed all the music and lyrics for the album, but when it came time to recording it, she enlisted the help of Ben Etter, a recording engineer and producer based out of MAZE Studios in Atlanta. His work with Deerhunter and Hazel English, among others, had impressed Bordallo.

“I found Ben from the album credits of one of my favorite albums. I reached out and sent him some examples of my work, and when he agreed to work on the album, I was overjoyed. He gave me the encouragement I needed.”

At Etter’s suggestion, Bordallo finished writing and recording all her demos in advance of their recording session. Etter and Bordallo tracked the album in eight days at MAZE Studios. Atlanta musicians Sean Zearfoss filled in on drums and Keegan Krogh provided production assistance.

The result is a heady blend of indie pop and lush, psychedelic electro-rock. At turns grand and intimate, the dulcet tones of Bordallo’s voice thread through a rich and polyphonic tapestry of shimmering synths, lively rhythms, and searing guitar solos. The last song on the 10-track album is also its first single, and its ironic tongue-in-cheek title belies the blistering emotionality of its orchestral rock wall-of-sound. Just like the rest of
the album, “I Feel Numb” leaves the listener feeling anything but.

Her music takes listeners that is both celestial and ethereal, wrapped in lush electronic rock soundscapes. Each track unfolds like a dream, weaving emotion and atmosphere in a way that is intoxicating. You can’t help but be drawn in by her voice – its haunting beauty lingers, leaving an imprint long after the music fades.

 

 

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