Patio Solar Piruetas y Viñetas

Unbeknownst to our Anglophile-centered bubble, a bevy of Latin American countries have taken up the mantle in terms of releasing some of today's best indie rock. If you've missed the more ambitious side of the genre, then Chile's Patio Solar delivers in spades and then some on their 4th full-length LP. Recorded through modest means by frontman Claudio Zaguán, Piruetas & Viñetas refines the scrappier pop sparkle of 2020's La Fuente with shimmering blankets of jangly fuzz and soaring choruses. Even at its haziest, Zaguán's fey, somewhat abstract observations on unrequited love and longing come out with visceral clarity. But there's also a playfulness to the album's progression, as they make every throbbing bass line and snare drum tap count. Whether it's floaty neo-psychedelia (Posiblemente) or unerringly tuneful noise à la Deerhunter (Un Manto Púrpura), the band's transporting guitar pop conveys a dazzling melancholic sweep. On Mantra, they reach their climax with an anthemic release—echoing the light, prog-pop tendencies of Minus the Bear with poise.