Maripool's 'Rotten Luck' Is a Debut That Sounds Bigger Than One Person
Maripool is Natacha Simões, Lisbon-born and London-based, and Rotten Luck — out August 28th via Smoking Room / Lost Wisdom — is her debut album. Stereogum’s Danielle Chelosky reports it was written across a month-long Lisbon residency in January 2025, “in a dilapidated fisherman’s building in a room with a broken window, dripping ceilings, and no Wi-Fi,” then recorded in South London with Joseph Futak, who has worked with Tapir! and Piglet.
The Sonic Breakdown
The Production & Mix
The Low-End: The headline production fact is that Simões brought her live band into the studio for the first time. It changes the record’s centre of gravity. Where a bedroom debut would stack overdubs, this one has an actual rhythm section breathing underneath, and Chelosky hears it immediately: opener “Glue” “picks up speed into a sweeping, yet calm whirlwind that sounds much bigger than herself, but still weightless.”
The Spatial Dynamics: Futak keeps the fuzz porous rather than solid — guitars smear without swallowing the vocal, which matters enormously here, because the vocal is the instrument. Chelosky again: “Her exquisite vocals — which are somewhat rare in indie rock — are a major part of the appeal.” The record leans toward what she calls the weirdness of Feeble Little Horse without ever losing the tune.
Standout Performance
Simões as an arranger of her own restraint. “Crossing” runs four minutes and, per Stereogum, they “perfectly encapsulate the premature pain of taking a risk for love, waiting for the hurt to come.” Nothing in it strains for that.
Why It’s Certified
Start with “Glue,” then “Favourite,” then let “Stuck” close it. Smoking Room — the Oakland label founded by Toner’s Samuelito Cruz, home to Smirk and Knifeplay — has an unbroken record for this kind of signing. Stereogum’s verdict is the honest one: “Rotten Luck never overstates itself, and the result is a quietly special album that you feel lucky to come across.” Certified great.