Text by Raíssa Carvalho
C'amon kids!
Some people turn up their noses, but the truth is that Brazilian rock has a living legend, Supla . With his "Xuxa-style hair, but only for rockers" and the same catchphrases from the old MTV days, Supla brought back that familiar punk rock sound in his latest album (with a band), but with themes that touch on current events and the reality of those who live in the capital of São Paulo.
Supla e os Punks de Boutique – Transa Amarrada was released in mid-2023 and is available on all music platforms. It features 13 songs with fun lyrics that seem to move between cheesy declarations of love, experiences in the city center, and the worldviews that the artist wishes to reinforce.
The album is new, but it doesn't bother the nation of nostalgic rockers. Supla kept the ingredients present in his music since the 90s. Among them, the "marketing" habit of mixing English with Portuguese. A highlight is the punk version of " As It Was " a song by British singer Harry Styles . Yeah, sure he did!
Papito brought up serious and current topics.
"Who Do You Want to Be Today ?" is a song that humorously criticizes the excessive pursuit of virality on social media and the absence of a personal identity during this process. A fair point, considering that in almost 40 years of his career, Supla has always been... Supla. He certainly understands identity!
There's plenty of reflection and metaphors in "Ratazanas de Iphone," a song that addresses cell phone thefts happening in downtown São Paulo. The song features a low-budget music video showing Supla and his band Punks de Boutique performing in Praça da República.
Traces of his personal life are present in the album.
It's true that one of the album's main tracks is "Transa Amarrada," an 18+ account of minimally curious sexual preferences. But the truth is that the artist's intimacy is truly present in other songs, such as "Eu Sou um Portacho," which mentions his relationship with his ex-girlfriend, model and actress Nathalia Mastrobiso . The relationship ended in 2024 in a less than amicable way, and indirect messages were posted by his ex on the internet.
In "They Want Me to Be a Politician," Supla also responds to rumors about his supposed candidacy for public office. It's worth remembering that, although the singer is the eldest son of politicians Marta Suplicy and Eduardo Matarazzo Suplicy, he never seemed interested in following in his parents' footsteps.
Why "Boutique Punk"?
During his appearance on the show Melhor da Noite , on Band TV , in the edition that aired on July 10th, Supla commented on the album's name, which is also the band's name. In a provocation aimed at those who have always used the term pejoratively to refer to him, our Brazilian Riddler stated that to be "Boutique Punk" one needs to have style.
Supla and the Boutique Punks – Transa Amarrada emerges in a context of the artist's approach to new generations. He has over 1 million followers on Instagram and maintains a relaxed communication with the public through his question boxes full of double entendres.
For those who have followed him since the band Tokyo (1984), it's an interesting experience to share with the "tankar" crowd a taste for a sound from the past that is still being built in the present.
Supla will perform at the Baihana Suíça festival, which takes place on October 19th and 20th at the Camillo de Jesus Lima Cultural Center in Vitória da Conquista, Bahia. Tickets are on sale at the official Sympla website.