Rey Pila (self-titled)
LABEL: Promotodo

It’s hard to pin Rey Pila, written and performed largely by frontman Diego Solórzano, into a specific genre. Solórzano successfully manages to straddle a little bit of everything from funk to electronica to pop. His lyrics speak about irony and reality with a cheeky tone that comes off as playful yet sincere. The album is half in English and half in Spanish, however the change in lyrics does nothing to alter the music or the tone of the record. Solórzano worked with producer Paul Majahan (TV On The Radio/Yeah Yeah Yeahs/The National) to create the act’s self-titled debut.

“No Longer Fun‚” is the first song on the album, and the one that initially reeled me in to repeat listening. Lyrics speak to being a part of the crowd and perhaps to inevitably growing up and moving on:

“Gift‚” has an 80s pop influence melded with disco, dance, and an electronic edge created by the slowly percolating emergence of instruments, including delicate keyboard riffs, an echoey guitar, a bass-heavy drum loop and ballad-like vocals. “The Lost Art of Crashing Cars‚” starts off with a rolling synth and jumps into a bouncy guitar with pounding drums. Like most songs on this album, it calls you to dance, supposedly under the light of a disco ball, especially when the chorus pops in, “C’mon and let me in/come on and let me in/after so long/it’s fine.” After all, what is a funk-infused dance/pop song without a catchy sing-along chorus to reel you in?

Rey Pila "No Longer Fun" from HUMBLE TV on Vimeo.

“Suspiria‚” has an edgy bass line that runs throughout the chorus. When it gets back into the verse, a keyboard and other instruments play off of each other in counterpoint. The album ends with “Our Project‚” with “Your face reminds me of the future/and the places I like to go/so you see/this as honest as I can be/you’ll get my life/you’ll get in for free.” It is the perfect way to end the album — on a wistful, reflective note, as if you’ve just been taken on an epic adventure and now is the time to wind down and get back to your life.

This album is a great all-the-way-through listen. It’s funky, fun, playful and poignant, all rolled into one delicate amalgamation of songs. Join in and poke fun at society, at the artist, at yourself, all while having a good time in the process.


REVIEWED BY KRYSTEN BEAN
KRYSTEN’S FAVORITE TRACKS: “Gift”  • “No Longer Fun” • “The Lost Art of Crashing Cars” • “Our Project”
Kyrsten Bean is a freelance writer, a musician and a photographer.