With Visited by Strangers, Pablo Betas returns to the melodic roots of his musical practice as Bungalovv. The release’s introspective, even tender, sound marks a shift away from the aggression of his previous work, while retaining the cinematic flair and painterly texture that have become trademarks of the Argentinian musician’s sound.

Composed during the pandemic, Visited by Strangers is nevertheless decidedly collegial, with four of its seven tracks being (remote) collaborations with other artists . Notably, it includes Bungalovv’s first-ever tracks to feature guest vocalists, and the release is also strewn with field recordings sent from a friend who was under lockdown on an Argentinian peninsula.

These conditions mean that Visited by Strangers is charged with the tension between strangeness and familiarity, or intimacy and distance. As song titles such as “Sharing Spells” and “Last Videocall” suggest, the tracks here evoke a world where human connection is mediated in fragile and fleeting, yet beautiful, ways.

Opener “Smoke Signal” sets the tone as a tentative yet immersive composition with a distinct sense of momentum. It is followed by “Glued Armor”, featuring multidisciplinary artist Efe Ce Ele, which begins with hesitant plucking that eventually builds to an expansive, multilayered climax. Then, anxious percussion contends with crystalline mallets in “Sharing Spells”, the stunning collaboration with Avernian.

In “Behind the Storm”, Catnapp’s auto-tuned vocals adorns a collage of textured synths and found sounds. It is followed by “Last Videocall”, in which tremulous strings cascade over each other into a tidal wave of bliss. “Forget My Eyes” sees Okay Vivian’s hypnotic voice weave its way through a maze of haunted reverberations. Finally, the closer and title track is a mesmerising journey through a landscape of club detritus and field recordings that is as moving as it is engrossing.

All tracks written & produced by Bungalovv
Co-composition on Glued Armor with Efe Ce Ele
Co-composition on Sharing Spells with Avernian
Vocals on Behind the Storm by Catnapp
Vocals on Forget My Eyes by Okay Vivian
Mixing by HADA
Mastering by Jesse Osborne-Lanthier
Artwork by Rafał Borcz
Cat. No. GNM029 – All rights reserved
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