The Brazilian band Electric Mob recently released their second studio album, 2 Make U Cry & Dance .
The album is released through the Italian label Frontiers Music and follows the acclaimed Discharge (2020) , which received international attention and put Electric Mob on the world map. The band received radio airplay in Europe and the United States, entered Billboard , and achieved impressive numbers on streaming platforms.
In 2 Make U Cry & Dance , the quartet formed by Renan Zonta (vocals), Ben Hur Auwarter (guitar), Yuri Elero (bass), and André Leister (drums) manages to maintain their previous vibe while adding new elements to their sound, making it even more vigorous and current. In short, the new work represents the refinement of the formula the band has followed since its formation in 2016, exploring the fusion of classic old-school elements from the 1970s and 1980s with the explosive groove of heavy rock from the 90s and 2000s.
To make sure you don't miss any details about the new songs, Electric Mob has prepared a track-by-track breakdown of their new album. Check it out:
1. “Sun Is Falling”
This song is the "calling card" of this new phase. It perfectly characterizes what we wanted to bring to this new work. Full of weight and visceral energy, it features a modern influence in the arrangements and timbres, but in our own way, with our own style: chainsaw riff, screaming, heavy groove, and catchy melody.
2. “Will Shine”
This one is special. Ben Hur had the intro riff saved for a while, and when we started composing the album, we immediately thought, "Wow, that sounds kind of like baião!" We embraced the idea, but without appropriating it, and tried to bring it to our reality. In Discharge we didn't end up showing much of that, that Brazilian flavor, that percussion and that groove that only exists here. "Will Shine" is the Brazilian child who learned to speak English and found himself with rock.
3. "IT'S GONNA HURT"
Electric Mob always has this habit of composing everything and then thinking, "Oh, something's missing," and "IT'S GONNA HURT" was exactly what was missing. It was the last song we wrote, and we wanted another single with that more modern rock sound that we achieved with "Sun Is Falling." There's no secret: It's about going all out, the way we always try to do.
4. “By The Name (nanana)”
Rock with all the trimmings! (laughs). Chorus, clapping, guitar solo, breakdown… We wanted to make a song that was kind of an epitome of rock, with everything we like, and in a relaxed way. Music to listen to while hanging out and to raise a glass to at the show when you yell “NANANA” with Renan.
5. “Soul Stealer”
Perhaps the heaviest track on the album. It's our grunge. Full of nuances and different dynamics, with lyrics as heavy as the riff and a killer guitar solo from Ben Hur. It was a more complicated song to finish because it has so many different parts and it took a while to connect everything, but here it is. It shows a more melancholic and angry side that unconsciously influenced us during this pandemic period that coincided with the album's production.
6. “4 letters”
When we were almost finished with pre-production, we realized we didn't have any songs on the tracklist that would calm things down. Not necessarily a ballad, but one that was less heavy. It was just all about action, punches, and explosions! (laughs) Then Renan channeled his inner guitarist and brought this idea that became "4 Letters." The song is about love and about loving, however you want, whatever or whomever you want, and in whatever way you think you should. And when we were playing it, we let our pop influences shine through.
7. “Locked n Loaded”
If the "rocker" has made it this far into the album and is missing a bit of a party anthem, his problems are over! (laughs) "Locked n Loaded" is where we let all our hard rock influences shine through, from Badlands and Guns N' Roses to Black Crowes and Rival Sons . A wicked riff, heavy groove, and mischievous vocals, just the way it is.
8. “Saddest Funk Ever”
The idea emerged at the beginning of the songwriting process, right at the height of the pandemic, with a lot of bad things happening and a government that was increasingly burying any hope, trampling on minorities, and making jokes about the greatest misfortune of our generation. We needed to say something, but how to address so much devastation? Put all the anger and despair into the lyrics of a danceable song. Dua Lipa had said something similar in an interview, and that inspired us. And it's from that song that the album title, 2 Make U Cry & Dance .
9. “Thy Kingdom Come”
This is one of those songs you listen to at full volume and use to start a mosh pit at a show. We already had a pre-chorus and chorus. For the verses, we thought, "Why not tell a story?" We embraced this idea of the songwriting universe, which is quite common in Brazilian country music and also in old-school American country. That's how this horror story was born, which is funny at the same time and has a vibe worthy of edgy rock that mixes AC/DC with Motörhead and has a long note from Renan in the style of "Galopeira" that would make Xororó proud... In short, crazy like "us" (laughs).
10. “Love Cage”
The oldest song in our repertoire. “Love Cage” was composed during the Discharge , but it didn't make it onto the album at the time (like so many others we've kept). It's a song the band never disliked, but also never gave much importance to, until we revisited it during the production of 2MUC&D Yuri 's favorite , and since its release as a single, it's become a favorite of many fans as well. Besides, its energy live is insane, as we say here in Paraná hahaha!
11. “WATCH ME (I'm Today's News)”
Closing an album with an experimental track is becoming a tradition for Electric Mob, hahaha! “WATCH ME…” is also from the Discharge , but it had never been worked on before. There was only an acoustic guitar and vocal version that Renan had recorded on his cell phone. When we started working on the repertoire, our producer Amadeus de Marchi loved this acoustic guitar and vocal idea and convinced us to keep it in the final arrangement. It's a very dense, heavy, emotional song, and different from what people are used to hearing from us.
