Portuguese artist Nana Lourdes has unveiled the lead single from her debut album Wyoming, sharing the heady bass and dance track “Sausalito.” Against frantic beats and raucous electronica, Lourdes plants her hypnotic pop flag into the American midwest, effectively transforming it into a soundscape of her design. On “Sausalito,” she gives a melodically luxurious introduction to that world — one that sees a compelling juxtaposition of decadent celebrity culture with the countryside.
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Loures herself had never visited the U.S. or Sausalito before beginning work on the album. All of her knowledge of the town came from a Fleetwood Mac documentary she was watching at the time — learning they recorded Rumours at a studio there — and an episode of “Keeping Up With The Kardashians” that was filmed there. The mix of such disconcertingly antithetical images was too compelling to get out of her head though, which led Lourdes to create the ecstatic sonics of “Sausalito.”
“This is one of the first songs I made for Wyoming. I wanted to make something that you can kind of dance to, that kind of just drives your body. Something where the kick and the bass sound amazing through the wall. I was watching a Fleetwood Mac documentary and I learned they made Rumours at a studio in Sausalito. I thought it was the coolest name ever. It had a ring to it and a song in it.”
Reimagining this idea of toxic celebrity culture as a toxic relationship, “Sausalito” is Lourdes’ first step in a journey from California to the album’s titular destination — Wyoming. Check out the visualizer she released alongside the single, which is essentially just a highlight reel of people getting bucked off horses at rodeos.
As for the upcoming album, Wyoming is written, produced, and mixed all by Lourdes. It will be a concept album that follows the odyssey of a couple that road-trips east to this fabled place that Lourdes imbues with stunning pop magic. And it will see her bring all of her genre-spanning influences into the fray, including country, folk, yacht rock, disco house, and electro-funk.
Nana Lourdes’ new album Wyoming is out November 11, pre-order it here. Visit Nana Lourdes’ Bandcamp, Twitter, and Instagram to stay updated on new releases and tour announcements.
Words by Steven Ward
