Arquetipas is the new album from Tipa Tipo, a band that say they marry South American and North American musical styles such as cumbia and salsa. Their syncopated rhythms also blends rock that is on the easy-listening and yacht spectrum while maintaining a broad grin and plenty of jig-inspiring, syncopated fun. If you have ever thrown the curtains open to be greeted with a blast of warmth from bright sunshine, then that it what Tipa Tipo feel like.
One look at the vibrant cover by the band’s singer and keyboard player Adele Fournet and you instantly know that this is no grey slice of pessimism but an album that requires you to wear sunglasses, neon colours and drink Tiki bar cocktails (I’ll have a Zombie please bartender). This is not an album trying to be too cool for school it has its arms outstretched imploring you to join the party.
Tipa Tipo are the aforementioned Adele Fournet, guitarist and vocalist Felipe Wurst, and drummer/percussionist Jordan Leong Auber. Fournet and Wurst met in Peru and formed a band before relocating to Brooklyn and putting Tipa Tipo together with Auber. That sense of colour in a black-and-white world drove them to create a broad palette for each song. Fournet says, “Each song has a different way of mixing sounds and colors. We’re trying to bring our entire musical world together into a single object.”
The band recorded in two studios – Yellow Studios and Honey Jar Studios – and treated these as extra band members. For example, ‘Objetos del Pasado’ was built on Wurst playing drums and trying to get a blown-out sound; this glitched against a Space Echo and the ‘mistake’ was so good is stayed in the song which also has gorgeous ascending vocal harmonies that are pure Steely Dan. Throughout the album you get the softly compelling beauty of Fournet’s voice and smooth smoke of Wurst’s, and there are plenty of tracks where you half expect to hear Michael McDonald pop-up on backing vocals.
That sense of exploration combined with the joy of creating optimistic music makes a heady combination. They have hooks for days and each song is loaded with so many elements that tickle the brain and keep the dopamine hits coming. with great tunes and harmonies, spongy keyboards, guitar twangs, sax breaks and a near-overload of infectious rhythms.
While I love noise rock, garage and full throttle punk Tipa Tipo are as welcome as a cool breeze on a hot day. If you’re looking for a record that will get your feet tapping and hips swaying, and act as the transition between early evening chatter and full-on club mayhem then here it is. As summer turns to autumn you will be able to hold on to some sunshine warmth by playing Arquetipas on repeat.
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Review by Paul F Cook
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