Anyone that’s ever remotely enjoyed a Wes Anderson film understands the confusion that presents itself with nostalgia for a time that may have never existed. Something about the films feel familiar, but upon closer examination that familiarity is continually challenged until “nostalgia” becomes an unfit word for the feeling they evoke. This is exactly the emotion recent Captured Tracks-signees Donovan Blanc capture on their first single, “Minha Menina.” Taken from their debut eponymous LP, the track creates a world all its own. Melodies reminiscent of traditional European folk music disjoint themselves as the New Jersey duo play with time signatures, putting a modern spin on a traditional sound. Harpsichord-esque acoustic guitar is coupled with shaky David Bowie-style vocals when the group laments, “I’d call you everyday/If I could.” All this adds to the essence of longing present in the track; the narrator sits idly by the phone, waiting for Minha to call.
“Minha Menina” is a far cry from the pop music Joseph Black and Raymond Schwab previously produced as Honeydrum. Donovan Blanc sees the introduction of more complex vocal and instrumental arrangements into the duo’s sound, channeling the psychedelic aesthetic of Ariel Pink (as opposed to Top 40 candycoating). And if Donovan Blanc long for Minha, then we’re left longing for the non-existent era this music came from, a time we wish existed so we could experience it as well.
Donovan Blanc will be released via Captured Tracks on June 24. Stream the single below.
