In Canelones, a small city in the south of Uruguay exists Las Cobras – a duo whose mystical psychotropic adventures have seen them, despite their very short existence, become a thing of wonder in the exploratory South American underground, and much further afield. Last year, Las Cobras – comprised of Sofïa Aguerre and Leandro Rebellato – emerged out of nowhere with their sublime debut album Temporal, their first recorded material yet a record that featured in a number of end-of-year lists and frequently saw them praised as one of modern psych’s most exciting new bands.
Released on London label Fuzz Club, Temporal was a hypnotic and totally refreshing listen, its influences a varied constellation ranging from afro-beat, Tropicalia and traditional Latin American rock, all the way through to minimalistic proto-punk, Eastern European krautrock and shoegaze. From the off the album received considerable praise across the board and the vinyl sold out remarkably quickly. To celebrate Fuzz Club repressing the album, Las Cobras have unveiled a beautiful new video for ‘Al Más Allá’ (translating from Spanish to ‘the afterlife’) – a lethargic, mesmerising slow-burner that meanders its way through enchanting dual-vocals sung in Spanish, droning synths, chiming guitars and almost-tribal percussion.
The video for ‘Al Más Allá’ was created by the band themselves and describing the story behind it, they explain: “We try to show the journey of this robed magician who travels for miles through arid dunes until she finally reaches the forest, where the dark woods wait for her to blend in with the spell of nature. The song is about a trip to an unknown place, to travel without a compass, both magnetic and moral. We filmed it in Cabo Polonio, a tiny fishing village on the east coast of Uruguay that still has no electricity, confronting the passage of time and evolution, which we felt was perfect for what we were trying to do.”