Tristeza - Bromas
Returning with an EP several albums after the release of their instrumental masterpiece Spine and Sensory, San Diego outfit Tristeza hasn’t lost its knack for creepily introspective rock. On Bromas, a short EP out on Better Looking Records, the sort of experimental jazz and pseudo-electronic vibe we’ve come to expect from the band is tighter and considerably less repetitive than earlier works. However, there’s a slight sense that venturing into smooth jazz territory is not always out of the question, and the only element that prevents me from calling ‘Metheny!’ on the EP’s title track is the ominous minor-key structure of the song. It’s certainly been a while since I’ve heard evil easy listening.
“Pingle Language”, the second track, is an ever quieter brooding composed of electronic snare rolls and icy pings in the high register, featuring most notably the absence of jangly guitar that was the signature of their brand of instrumental rock. “Enveloped” mutates this brooding vibe into an ambient shuffle, a sort of unnoticed and hushed prelude into the extended mix of the title track (which doesn’t sound all that different from the original).
Bromas is certainly a mysterious EP in the fact that, at three new tracks, it may only be a single. Even more confounding to the listener is the band’s seeming abandonment of guitar as the centerpiece in the two middle songs of the album. The title track is certainly worth a listen, and the album could be considered a success on that merit alone, however, the additional guitar-less tracks keep me guessing when the guitar is going to come in, and probably intentionally so.