Salt Cathedral - CARISMA (2020)

Salt Cathedral release their anticipated debut album CARISMA today. The entrancing album is a collection of songs that along with playing adventurously on the edges of English and Spanish, also finds itself playing along the edges of pop and electronic music. Fused in are Caribbean rhythms, alluring melodies and an unguarded and defiant mix of wonder and vulnerability. The duo’s music presents an optimistic vision of our globalized world that is rooted in tradition but always pushes towards the future.

Salt Cathedral is comprised of Bogota-Born, NYC-based genre-defying duo Nico and Juli, who are celebrated for their ability to fuse elements from the vanguard of electronic music, a scope of global rhythms, and Caribbean dance culture to create an inimitable sound that is as accessible as it is adventurous.

The album sits itself in a dreamy state of pop-electronica. From melodic track beats that sing in praise of an endearing love like opener, “a lifetime with you” and “my love,” to more upbeat dance rhythms from a tongue-in-cheek nod to reggaeton found in “muévelo,” inspired dancehall in “Rudeboy” or baile-funk inspired “How Beautiful (she is)” featuring duendita and MC Bin Laden, which briefly and seamlessly incorprates portuguese into the multi-language album. “a second chance” and “Paris” provide escapes into heartbroken melancholia whether youre in need of an upbeat tempo or tuned down ballad. “Te Quiero Olvidar” has an ethereal nostalgic quality in the production that mirrors Juli’s verses where she’s overcoming heartbreak and trying to forget someone but also demanding they forget her as well. The album closes on “CAVIAR,” an impassioned rejection of materialism inn relationships and a joyous celebration of the liberation that is gained through it.

Overall, CARISMA is an invitation we are glad to have received into the diversely eclectic world of Salt Cathedral where following your bliss and creation is rebellion and there is always room for a dance and another comrade.