A Bouquet of Awkward Passion

Sometimes I find myself getting obsessed with someone at the strangest times. Strawberry Guy about two years ago was exactly that.
And now, Rudy De Anda is currently in vogue.

Rudy is a Mexican-American singer-songwriter, and his genre could be classified as Chicano soul. This second album, released in 2023, is psychedelic, rocky, melancholic, and multicultural with Spanish songs, evoking the image of a languid summer afternoon, as the sun begins to set.

What made me fall in love with it was a certain "sound."
During breakfast, my partner would sometimes play this record, and I'd listen with a casual "Is this a Spanish indie band?" attitude. But as I repeatedly heard it, there was a part that inexplicably resonated with me.
The last track on Side A, "Tu Mirada," features a Doors-like improvisation in the latter half. At the end of it, a mysterious sound effect (or what felt like one) of "paa-poo-paa-poo-boo-ooo-ooo-ooom" plays, which is unsettling. It felt like a siren invading my dream if I were napping on a lazy afternoon.

"Paa-poo-paa-poo-boo-ooo-ooo-ooom"

This album, which lists The Velvet Underground and The Kinks as inspirations, has a psychedelic and retro mood. But beyond that, the nightmarish and cinematic direction made me so curious about "What kind of artist is this??"

From the sound's atmosphere, I had assumed he was a band, but he's a solo artist. After learning his name and listening to the music that reflects his background and life, even his pop and melodic love songs sound deeply meaningful. Rudy's charming performance in the MV, with his approachable singing voice, not relying on youth or good looks, was also irresistible.

The album title, "CLOSET BOTANIST," might mean a hidden plant lover.
The album is dedicated to "those who love someone so deeply that they forget to water their own garden." The flowers and greenery depicted on the jacket seem like flowers blooming in an inner garden or a closed room, and the graffiti-like lines seem to ooze with roughness, delicacy, and madness.

It's like a vividly colorful bouquet that a man with awkward passion, unfamiliar with flower shops, painstakingly chose for you.
Somehow, this sweet, warm music resonates, perfectly suiting the languid, hot season.

Artwork:    MARIANA ROCKWELL(art), AUTUMN BARNEY(design)
Format:   LP, vinyl
product no.(or ISBN) :   KCR12022LPC1

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Text & Photos / Fumika Arasawa Designer Freelance ⇄ company employee, sometimes helping friends. Moved to Matsumoto in 2024. Instagram: @fumika *Related products by Fumika Arasawa at rovakk musikk can be found here.

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