Federico Aubele Shares New Single 'Old Spanish Films'

Today, Brooklyn-based Argentine singer/songwriter Federico Aubele shares the second soothing track, and its accompanying video, "Old Spanish Films," from his forthcoming LP, The Holographic Moon, due out on May 27th and available for pre-order now.

"Old Spanish Films," is the follow-up release to "Pink Spray Painted Clouds," a gentle daydream that captures the warmth of a budding romance. While similar in vocal intimacy and a delicate acoustic guitar, "Old Spanish Films," in contrast, sees Aubele come to terms with the crumbling foundation beneath a relationship once thought to be unbreakable.

The melancholic melody reveals a subtle sense of mourning that seeps through the buzzing instrumentals and overlapping vocals, mirroring the relationship's incompatibility. Describing the context of the track, Aubele says, "I wrote this song based on a personal experience that a lot of people have experienced too: the realization that a relationship I was in was built on projections, from both people in it, and didn't have any real foundation. This notion (and the end of the relationship) was obviously sad but in hindsight I can see that for the brief amount of time we were together we did give each other something valuable that we needed at the time, mostly companionship, and that we both contributed something positive to each other's lives. We're always giving each other something that can have value, whether we consciously notice it or not."

The video, which sees Aubele making his directorial debut, shows Aubele with a woman in a bright, white room dressed in all black. Here, the couple finds themselves in the midst of a romance that has run its course as it has become a figment of imagination, filled with projections of what it could have been, but can no longer be. A camcorder and CD player seen throughout the video highlight the bittersweet nostalgia of something that was once golden-shown in the paint the devices are later dipped in.

Aubele explains, "It's all very oneiric and I truly enjoyed this first experience directing. I watched the 70mm version of Kubrick's 'Space Odyssey' recently again and I was inspired by that last scene in the white bedroom. I wanted to use that in a contemporary context. I love early 2000's tech gadgets like hi8 Camcorders and Discmans."

Aubele continues, "Like any old but not too old piece of technology, they have a bittersweet quality to them. Something that evokes a gone-by era of your life. The song is a break up song about two people projecting something they want to see on each other, but it's never been there, hence the camcorder and the discman. But it's a positive break up, they all are-whether we see it or not at the moment-one that will leave both parts with a pearl of wisdom. That's why the camera and its memories are covered in gold paint."

Federico Aubele has been blending cultures and defying borders throughout his almost two-decade long career. Bouncing between Buenos Aires, Berlin and Barcelona, and now, Brooklyn, Aubele has fused the sounds of each city and simultaneously melded genres into his powerful songwriting, deep vocals, downtempo electronica, acoustic guitar, flamenco and more. The musician has also managed to seamlessly and seductively join both Spanish and English since he began recording music as Boston Globe, PopMatters and Westword each note. Remezcla calls Aubele, "The true master of Latin down-tempo electronica," with "eclectic influences that range from tango and bossa nova to dub."

Aubele's sixth full-length album, The Holographic Moon, featuring artwork done by Aubele himself, is due out May 27. With the help of guests ranging from Mauro Refosco (David Byrne, Atoms for Peace) on percussion, Iain Cook (Chvrches) and Yuka Honda (Cibo Matto) on synths, Melissa Mary Ahern (Sulfjian Stevens) on vocal harmonies, the YMusic Ensemble (Paul Simon, Jose Gonzales) on orchestra arrangements and Kenny Wollensen (Tom Waits) on drums, Aubele looks to push boundaries of what traditional lyricism and genres might look like, and further establish himself as a dynamic, multicultural musician to watch as he continues to reach new depths.

"Old Spanish Films," out everywhere now, finds the silver lining in the fond memories of an expired relationship, and is just a slice of what's to come from Federico Aubele. The upcoming LP, The Holographic Moon, is out May 27 and available for pre-order now. Connect with Federico on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube for more.

Watch the new music video here:

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