Gabriel Garzón-Montano changes tack on his latest single, trading in his usual upbeat, Reggaeton-influenced sound for an acoustic guitar-driven ballad called “Bloom.” Produced by Gabriel himself, the song opens with the Colombian-French singer softly strumming his guitar, with backing strings coming in and providing a pretty counterpoint along with some light harp, complementing the bittersweet lyrics. It’s a musical departure that promises his next album, Agüita, will be an even more diverse affair than we’re used to hearing from him.
Of the track, Gabriel explains, “‘Bloom’ is a song about birth, life, decay and death. I looked up the word ‘bloom’ and was delighted at the many definitions it boasts. Using the ones that lent themselves to my story, I decided to start the first and last phrase in each stanza with the word. Each line uses the definition to describe a different state of human development of a stage of life.”
Agüita, which drops October 2 on Jagjaguwar in association with Stones Throw, is the follow-up to 2017’s Jardín, which found Gabriel blending an eclectic array of styles — both global and personal to his unique upbringing — to craft a sound that even drew the attention of Drake, who sampled his song “6 8” on the 2015 standout “Jungle.”
Agüita is out 10/2 via Jagjaguwar/Stones Throw. Pre-save it here.
