Alen Tagus - Paris, Sines
Within the last two weeks, dream-pop/indie-rock outfit Alen Tagus dropped their debut EP, called Paris, Sines.
Pamela Hute of Alen Tagus
The title of the EP refers to the locations of the two members of Alen Tagus: Charlie Mancini lives and works in Sines, Portugal. He’s a pianist, composing scores for films; while indie-rocker Pamela Hute resides in Paris. Hute is a gifted melodist.
The two teamed up after Mancini heard Hute’s music online, according to Threshold Magazine. The long-distance collaboration resulted in “Time Passing By,” which realized beau coup attention from media outlets in both Portugal and France. The collaborative process worked like this: Mancini sent raw tracks of bass and keyboards recorded in his studio to Hute, who wrote lyrics, and added drums, guitars, and vocals.
Alen Tagus’ sound amalgamates elements of ‘70s retro-pop with dream-pop laced with alt-pop and alt-rock flavors. Essentially, it’s a trippy, dreamy lo-fi sound traveling on exquisite melodies accented by syncopated bass lines and suspended guitars.
Paris, Sines includes six-tracks. The first track is “The Void,” which opens on dirge-like tones, followed by a muscular rhythm made up of a fat bass line and potent percussion. Strident guitars enter, infusing the tune with heavy pulsing hues, as Hute’s exotically-flavored voice, dark and pensive, glides overhead. “Love Syndrome” rides a measured rhythm supported by oscillating, shimmering colors exuding trembling patterns of melancholy fused with a delightful edgy energy.
“Time Passing By” features creamy opaque pigments juxtaposed against Hute’s divinely evocative tones.
“Time Passing By” features creamy opaque pigments juxtaposed against Hute’s divinely evocative tones. The flow of the song merges dream-pop and tints of alt-rock into an intoxicatingly dreamy tune. Hute’s talent on guitar approaches the superlative.
“Black Hole” emanates both dark and light harmonics. The combination of flavors imbues the harmonics with a wicked moody feel. “Only Lovers Left Alive” travels on spacy, futuristic, almost psychedelic, colors. The syncopated bass line secures the song’s tantalizing quixotic momentum, as the guitar injects thick, heavy textures.
“Holiday” comes closest to pure dream-pop, flowing on soft surface hues that drift and ripple with undulating warmth. Hute’s voice, umbral and oh, so marvelous, streams on dreamy surfaces of sonority. The final half of the song gleams and glows and flows on gentle coruscating colors.
Paris, Sines is wonderfully fashioned, full of innovative textures, sublime colors, and fractal-like melodic harmonics, as well as Hute’s bewitching voice.
