ANDY PANDY

Emanuel Calderon – better known as Winterhound – often builds his music alone in his bedroom, playing and recording each instrument on his own. However, as the lyrics of “Hang in there” attest to, it can get lonely. Over a dreamy, prog-rock haze, Calderon sings of yearning for someone he can’t seem to find anymore.  The song’s lyrics are simple and direct, but they resonate profoundly – a songwriting gift that has helped cement the 25 year-old heartthrob as someone to keep a close eye on in 2021.

In the face of withering economic woes and natural disasters, diasporic melancholy has become an intrinsic component of modern Puerto Rican music. We’ve seen profound storytelling emerge from the indie world in bands like Buscabulla and Los Wálters, who throughout their careers have reconciled lives on the US mainland with the emotional beckoning of their Caribbean homeland.

The Brooklyn and Cidra/San Juan-based ensemble gave us several high points to choose from, with “Hang in there” standing out as the purest utterance of the artist’s penchant for new experimentation and bold fusions, a collision of dreampop and a softer version of the singer’s more signature sound in his other artistic ventures, screamcore; dare I say, more like a howl. The listening experience has me hearing early Minus the Bear and Radiohead, specifically “Weird Fishes/Arpeggi” in the single. The song also includes a voice recording from his father that has us all grabbing the nearest box of Kleenex and immediately calling our parents. This is definitely a much more mature and stronger direction since the artist’s debut in 2014. Winterhound’s new song tracks (including other new singles such as “Descontento” and “Better than this”) are that of an alert of something to come. Someone is yearning, missing, exploring, and just like a hound in the snow, we must stay alert.

Artist’s Spotify: Winterhound