Igor Montenegro - The Acoustic EP Number 1

I have a very specific music taste. I have always struggled to get into new music unless it fits some special, awkward guidelines that my brain and soul have set up over time and, as any of my friends know, this makes it difficult to get me to listen to anything new and different. This is an odd trait for someone who writes about music for a living to have, so in an effort to subvert my own trends even more, I happened to pick up a request to review Brazilian indie/alt pop songwriter Igor Montenegro’s first EP; ‘The Acoustic’ EP on Spotify. The record features five tracks and is the perfect 20-minute listen for a day in the garden with your family during this mini-heatwave. Crack a cold one and jump on my ‘Not So Straightforward’ Spotify playlist (which I am making as I write this) to listen to the EP before you continue.

Before I delve into the record, I’d like to give some context to the direction of this piece of writing and about Montenegro. I’m currently sat in a deck chair, enjoying a slightly cooler day of sun and ignoring my impending uni deadlines. I live in a house with two couples and spend the majority of my time playing Halo, so some distant part of me finds it amusing to be writing about love songs. However, this might be one of the reasons I have taken an interest in Montenegro’s work, as I find I tend to live inside my thoughts while isolation is at its peak. Now, I wouldn’t exactly paint myself as a ‘conduit for love’, but as this will be a longer piece of writing than the usual single reviews that I do so I would like to provoke some thoughts about what it means to be battling with love in a time of solitude and isolation.

Stripped Back

The EP itself consists of three acoustic versions of already released singles and two extra exclusive songs. After a first listen I found the organisation of the tracks presented a theme. ‘Flamethrower (Back To Live My Life)’ and ‘Serious’ mark the first milestones of a difficult journey through a dangerous love story: passion and rejection. As the titles suggest, Flamethrower is more up-tempo in terms of rhythm and retells the ups and downs of an experience with a risky lover. Montenegro conveys the struggle between wanting to lead a life of fire with the person and knowing deep down that he needs to be realistic about what he deserves from someone. Alternatively, 'Serious' brings the party back down to a quiet conversation about what is really important. The tracks flow well into each other and tell the beginning of a story that I am sure a lot of other people can relate to. Montenegro isn’t afraid to talk about his emotions and we shouldn’t be either.

A Meditation On Companionship

In ‘Fall For Someone New’, Montenegro puts down the guitar in favour of piano to demonstrate his wider array of musical skills. The change in instrument does the theme of the song justice, and I think that it is the perfect way to tone down from the original. It is clear that Montenegro wrote this emotional call back in relation to something (or someone) who he had held very dear to him. He uses well places chords that give certain transitions a ‘jazzier’ vibe. In the chorus he inserts a short staccato rhythm. These small details go a long way in making the song more texturally interesting to listen to without overstepping the sombre theme. The track brings it all the way to the other end of the spectrum to Flamethrower by discussing his true inner feelings, possibly about harbouring regret for letting an emotional connection go. This is the mid-point of the EP and it is the lowest the trough dips before Montenegro revitalises the romantic vibes in time for the fourth track: ‘You Make Love Easy’, the chorus hook of which reminds me of some popular pop-punk songs. Montenegro brings the guitar back for a pleasant combination of sustained, floaty chords, and driving rhythmic strumming.

I See You Are A Man Of Many Talents...

The final track on the EP features some more technical guitar work, which is more impressive when you consider Montenegro’s ability to play and sing at the same time. Throughout his discography, Montenegro displays a diverse skillset, burning his spirit bright in his full-band songs, featuring powerful electric guitar, but this solo EP shows he is also more than comfortable to strip it right back, playing with the listeners’ feelings by switching from driven alt-pop to ambient acoustic. ‘Love Her’ is a final word about his intentions in the music scene: a love anthem shrunk down to be pocket sized and portable, Montenegro connects well with his inner songwriter, able to utilise the best of both technicality and wholesome lyrics. The track provides a different use to the others and gives yet another angle from which Montenegro can approach the sonic language.

I find it interesting that Montenegro and his agency contacted me not only in a difficult time for the industry, but with the intention of spreading exposure in the local scene. It proves that the age of technology even allows us to connect across the world in difficult times. To be able to work on, release and write about new music while we are limited to our living rooms is a technological marvel. I think it shows the true intentions of progression and our goals to make life more accessible and convenient. While definitely a product of capitalism with monetary aims it also allows the convergence of culture across different nations and the creation of new arts. This can be heard in Montenegro’s song-writing style; adopting the popular western genre, but also in the fact that his lyrics are consistently in English. From listening to his music I wouldn’t have been able to guess where he is from and, while it is a good thing to have a very clear target audience, I would have liked to hear more about whether he had influences from back home, and how he would have integrated this into his music to appeal to a UK audience. Montenegro is also the lead vocalist of ‘not just another (rock) band from Fortaleza’ The Mob.

Meta-physical Connection

Despite the fact that the world is closing its doors, we are arguably more connected than ever; socialising online makes us realise how much we value physical interaction. Montenegro’s music talks specifically about wanting to love someone romantically, but you should never devalue simply hugging your friends. Platonic love is something that I rarely hear discussed in more conventional music genres and, in this modern age of technological advancement, we are also surrounded by social growth and change. Love your friends, love thy neighbour and, most importantly, love yourself.

I would like to say a big thank you to Sylvia Sussekind and Collapse Agency for contacting me.