Label: Mr BongoRelease Date: 24th July A real summer in the city record, this one. It brings metropolitan city disco on a hot night with the street carnival dance vibrations of MPB. It's sharp European or NYC grooves with the chill of Brazil and Latin American dance music. Curio Curio came to flight by chance, two artists, Rio-born, Austria-basedsinger and actress Luiza Monteiro and German producer Dustin Braun, hadseparately reached a fork in their journeys - an opportune encounter soonblossomed into an uplifting, heartfelt Brazilian MPB-groove project shaped bypsychedelic disco and studio experimentationIn their own words Curio Curio's sonic vision "is not straight disco, not straight samba,not strictly old-school but inspired by all of them, creating something contemporarybut still nostalgic".A modern fusion influenced as much by Gal Costa and Jorge Ben Jor as Say She Sheand Bala Desejo, their sound deftly plots a course all of its own. A celebration offreedom, movement, love and life, intertwined with introspective moments ofreflection. Treating tradition as something alive, migratory and unresolved, the albumis not simply bound by a shared love of Brazilian music, but by a deeper question thatruns through every track; where does one belong when home becomes plural? As aBrazilian living in Europe, Luiza's lyrics explore themes of identity, culture, andexistence. The tracks move between cities and emotional registers without settling,tracing a sense of identity that shifts rather than resolves. Songs like 'Amor Doente'and 'Mar sem Dar Pe' circle around relationships that resist clarity, while 'MeninaPassarinho' captures the fear and necessity of committing to music as a path. ForLuiza, deepening her commitment to music alongside years in theatre was bothinevitable and difficult.Braun's production follows a similar logic. Initial ideas were often built withoutobvious reference points, only later incorporating rhythmic and vocal elements thathint at Brazil without reproducing it. Analogue techniques, tape, ribbon microphonesand live ensemble recording bring a tactile quality that reflects the duo's interest inprocess as much as outcome. Highlights include 'Bem Querer', built on an authenticsamba street vibe with a super-catchy sing-along chorus, and 'Vem pra Casa' with itscosmic-tinged Brazilian boogie flavour. The album closes with 'A Cor do Meu Sonho', aquiet act of insistence. A refusal to shrink in unfamiliar environments, and a belief inthe strength of difference. It is less a conclusion than a continuation, leaving thecentral question open. "I started to understand that I can belong to many places atonce", Luiza reflects. "And that can be something to embrace". Lyrics from the song'Raiz' translate in English to "I value a burning sun and the cold in the air. Constantchange is my companion".With Curio Curio , that idea is lived through sound, story and collaboration. A debutthat feels both searching and assured, grounded in heritage yet shaped by distance.Curio Curio's debut album is an uplifting, heartfelt and fresh take on MPB, shapedby psychedelic disco and studio experimentation.The coming together of Rio- born, Austria- based singer and actress LuizaMonteiro and German producer Dustin Braun.Not straight disco, not straight samba, not strictly old-school but inspired by all ofthem, creating something contemporary but still nostalgic."It's on rotation in my head" - Coco Maria.
