Bristol’s Soma Soma open their third album Nem Toda Flor with “O Mundo Parou” (“the world stopped”), a single released 24 October via Mintaka Records. The album itself followed on 21 November, available on streaming platforms and vinyl through Bandcamp. The eight-piece band, split between Brazilian and British members, work from samba, bossa nova, afrobeat and disco as source material.
The song started in early 2020 during a band visit to Brazil. Bebeto and Antonio Carlos & Jocafi‘s 1970s output served as primary inspiration. Then the pandemic arrived and redirected the lyrics. Artur Tixiliski from Soma Soma addresses this shift: “We didn’t start writing it with a particular theme in mind. We were listening to a lot of Bebeto and Antonio Carlos & Jocafi, so their ’70s music served as inspiration. As the song developed, we got into the pandemic, and it inevitably influenced the lyrics. Even though it was a time of grief for many, I tried to look at it from a positive perspective. We were gifted an opportunity to live life in a different way. I wanted to comment on the fact we can work too much, and with the world standing still, we were granted the chance to really connect with our immediate family and friends and reflect on our principles”.
That perspective comes through in the arrangement. Brazilian percussion underpins samba and samba-funk rhythm patterns whilst Afrobeat-arranged horns cut through electric bass, guitar and keyboards. Call-and-response vocals build on the central image of time suspended, pushing the tension between stillness and forward motion.
The album Nem Toda Flor (“Not Every Flower”) followed on 21 November. Nine tracks address identity, resilience and joy through samba-rock, partido alto, afoxé, swingueira, axé and maracatu alongside African diaspora influences and jazz improvisation. Tixiliski wrote lyrics with co-writing from Renan Andrade on this opener and Hércules Lacovic on “Treta”.
Soma Soma have released steadily on Mintaka since 2019: Saudade, Saudade Remixed and Água Viva preceded this nine-track set.
Listen to and purchase your copy of the album HERE