Psych-rocker Filipe Alvim has just released his latest collection of reverb and acid-pop drenched songs entitled Zero via Pug Records. This EP finds the puckish indie rocker exploring various aspects of teenage angst through churning ballads and jangly pop rhythms — drawing apt comparisons to artists such as Jackson Scott and Mac DeMarco. Turning strands of melodic indie rock and gently persuasive harmonies inside out, Alvim creates songs that harken back to the psych indebted pop music of the 60’s while keeping one foot clearly on this side of the timeline. His lyrics, while strictly sung in Portuguese, are nonetheless evocative and create a roiling accompaniment for his stripped down instrumentation.
For our first taste of Zero, Alvim has chosen the surging rocker “Domingo,” and with its mounting melodic tension and spry guitar lines, it manages to recreate the searing rock attitude of artists like Blue Cheer and Cream, while keeping its modern indie rock tendencies intact. And for the video for “Domingo” — directed by Luciano de Azevedo — we watch as Alvim goes through his morning routine of brushing his teeth and shaving, while stark black and white scenes of a young woman roaming various nondescript neighborhoods flash by. As the reverb deepens on Alvim’s vocals and the music seems to slither by, we get a sense of humorous voyeurism as we watch the singer go about his normal habits, but there is also an odd non-linear narrative involving the woman that plays out as a visual Rorschach test, where we try to fill in the gaps based on our perception of the music — though when you hit that searing solo at the end, all you’re going to be thinking about is how best to air-guitar the hell out of it.
Beats Per Minute is pleased to premiere the video for “Domingo,” taken from Filipe Alvim’s recent Zero EP.
