Monsieur Perin enlist Leonel Garcia, the gifted Mexican balladeer who enjoyed a series of radio hits as a member of the duo Sin Bandera, for their new single La Sombra.
With its plump bassline and thunk-ing drum hits, La Sombra sometimes veers close to classic honky tonk. Guitars and strings flit prettily on top of this thwacking foundation; eventually a lithe horn section joins the mix, adding cheer and pomp, and the song comes to a close with some playful la-di-das.
Catalina Garca, lead singer of Monsieur Perin, has been a longtime fan of Garcia, in particular his duets with Jorge Drexler, Carla Morrison and Natalia Lafourcade. I used to hear his music on the bus, when you take a taxi, on the radio, Garca explains, speaking from Los Angeles, where she is writing songs for the groups next album. He has written a lot of special songs for the contemporary ballad tradition in Latin America. He has a sweet voice when you hear him singing live, you almost want to cry.
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The winning arrangement for La Sombra was the work of another member of Monsieur Perin, Santiago Prieto Sarabia. We tried to get close to the vibe of the Latin American balladas in the Seventies, Garcia explains. It is also related to the Beatles. The Beatles were very important for a moment of music in Latin America in the Seventies, romantic songs with these beautiful arrangements that are not easy to chew on. We also decided to record instruments that are not common in popular music, as the Beatles did the oboe, for example, instruments that come from a classical or orchestral background.
The La Sombra video was directed by Hugo Rubiano and stars the Colombian free diver Sofia Gomez Uribe. The single also doubles as the name of Monsieur Perins upcoming tour, a 20-date run in North America. Mainstream American festivals have been slow to embrace music in Spanish, but Monsieur Perin will play Bonnaroo this year.
Monsieur Perine Tour Dates
June 1 Vivo Beach Club @ San Juan, Puerto Rico
June 3 Mod Club @ Toronto, Canada
June 5 Paradise @ Boston, MA
June 6 Ridgefield Playhouse @ Ridgefield, CT
June 8 Sony Hall @ New York, NY
June 9 Stephen Talkhouse @ Montauk, NY
June 10 9:30 Club @ Washington, DC
June 12 Masquerade @ Atlanta, GA
June 14 Bonnaroo @ Manchester, TN
June 15 ArtsPark Amphitheater @ Hollywood, FL
June 16 The Plaza Live @ Orlando, FL
June 18 House of Blues @ Houston, TX
June 19 House of Blues @ Dallas, TX
June 21 Delmar Hall @ St. Louis, MO
June 22 Ruido Fest @ Chicago, IL
July 11 July 14 SF Jazz Center @ San Francisco, CA
July 16 SLO Brew @ San Luis Obispo, CA
July 17 Strummers @ Fresno, CA
July 19 El Rey Theatre @ Los Angeles, CA
July 20 House of Blues @ San Diego, CA