Girl Ultra's 'RRRomeo' Is Twenty-Six Minutes of Romance as Rebellion
RRRomeo opens with a thirty-eight-second track called “¡El groove de Romeo!” — essentially a ribbon-cutting — and then spends twenty-six minutes refusing to slow down. Girl Ultra, the Mexico City artist Mariana de Miguel, calls it an album about romance as rebellion. She is not kidding about either half.
The Sonic Breakdown
The Production & Mix
The Low-End: co-produced with Chromeo, whose Dave 1 is all over this, and it shows exactly where you’d hope — the bass is the lead instrument for most of the record. On “Te Caigo” it does the heavy lifting under a vocal Paste likened to “a moodier version of Cyndi Lauper complete with a thumping bass line.” The Spatial Dynamics: sessions began at Chromeo’s Burbank studio, with “Ramera” tracked in Paris alongside Jean Tonique, and the two rooms give the record a split personality it uses well. “Denisse” pairs twinkly synths with a dub-reggae groove and Andean flute samples; “Tomás” brings in a sitar plus Empress Of; “Mentirasmentiras” hands a verse to Buscabulla and nods hard at eighties darkwave. Eight tracks, five guests, zero drag.
Standout Performance
De Miguel herself, for a decision rather than a run: she sings the entire album in Spanish on a label best known in English, and never softens the phrasing to travel better. The melodies carry it anyway. Dave 1 takes a verse on “Ironía” and sounds like a guest in her house.
Why It’s Certified
Big Dada has always been Ninja Tune’s most restless corner, and this is a good use of it: a record with no interest in the slow build. Paste’s Abby Jones, in the only substantial notice out so far, called it “sexy, sleek” and summed it up better than we’re about to — “Outside temperatures might be dropping, but Rrromeo brings the heat.” Vinyl follows on October 23.