There’s been a slight respite in the Band of the Day column recently, but today we come back swinging with a heavyweight. Weighing in with some sublime early efforts and hailing from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, Mutado Pintado has burst out to score round one knockouts on many of the eardrums of his listeners. The stage name is that of one Craig Louis Higgins Jr., who has made waves last year with his first release, which will be followed up next month with new single ‘Blue’. Word is quickly spreading about the American artist, and early signs spell good things for his musical future.
The aforementioned release which last year provided was the Carbon Copies/This Life single, a double A-sided effort serving as the first foray by Higgins into life as Mutado Pintado. The first of the two tracks comes laden with toe-tapping rhythms, as Higgins’ vocals almost stray into the realms of spoken word. Lyrically strong and instrumentally addictive, ‘Carbon Copies’ is just under four minutes of infectious feelgood vibes that set Mutado Pintado up to make a resounding first impression on all those in earshot of the slowly building belter. Joining it on the release is ‘This Life’, a very different piece to its predecessor, with vocal effects and spoken verses. Between the second track and ‘Carbon Copies’ before it, Higgins has put together a first single which is incredibly hard not to fall in love with. Appreciation for the artist has been spreading across Europe just as it has in the States, which is fantastic news as the infectiously cheery attitude of the two tracks here deserves to be heard and enjoyed by as many people as it can reach. Players of the fantastically beautiful game IloMilo will be familiar with the kind of sound that ‘This Life’ captures and builds upon, though it certainly sounds nicer with the touch of Mutado Pintado than simply left as background music in a videogame.
This brings us to today, and today is one of many days in the next month or so which Higgins will be spending either preparing for or celebrating his next single release, ‘Blue’. From the start, the track feels a little jauntier than those on his previous work, and the vocals carry a layered sound which adds more texture to the piece which wouldn’t sound out of place in a ’90s britpop playlist. ‘Blue’ isn’t the sort of track to redefine a genre or break new ground in the music industry, but it is more than likely to reaffirm the faith that any fans already have in the potential of Mutado Pintado, as well as winning over new converts to the growing throng of followers that Higgins can boast.
With the official release of ‘Blue’ coming on May 27th, there will be a number of European dates for Mutado Pintado in the interim. With a packed schedule to prelude the Summer, now is as good a time as any to immerse yourself in this incredibly promising project. You certainly won’t regret the decision.
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