Earlier this week, it was announced that John Frusciante and Omar Rodríguez-López, both formerly of The Mars Volta among many other projects, had reunited to form a new band called Kimono Kult. Also featuring singer Teri Gender Bender (Le Butcherettes, Bosnian Rainbows), the collective will release its debut EP, Hiding In The Light, on March 4th via Neurotic Yell Records.
Described as “electro/dub/afro-beat/avant-freak/jazz-like conversations of instrumental ecstasy”, the four-track effort is led by opening track “Todos Menos El Dolor”, which is now streaming below (via Rolling Stone). Relying heavily on Afro-Beat rhythms and jazz-esque flourishes and structure, the song’s a mix of gentle classical and stirring experimental rock, equal parts soothing and alluring and utterly jarring and off-putting.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Teri Gender Bender explained the song’s inspiration and her choice to sing in Spanish:
The Spanish language is so beautiful that it has the right to be approached in any way possible. There is so much left to explore – pronunciation, etc. Because Spanish-speaking singers are strict with so many unspoken rules, I approached my mother language as if I were an alien from outer space. That was the mindset.
Kimono Kult approaches the music in a completely original way, allowing for the imagination to flow. The lyric to ‘Todo Menos el Dolor’ is for the listener’s imagination. Spanish speaking or not, it goes way beyond language and [is] more about atmosphere. To me it could be a story about an alien that wanted to eat cats but it caused the critter so much pain [that] he became a vegetarian. Every interpretation is valid.
Hiding In The Light Tracklist:
01. Todo Menos El Dolor
02. Las Esposas
03. La Vida Es Una Caja Hermosa
04. La Cancion De Alejandra
