Miami’s Jaialai blends dream-pop with shoe-gaze and psych for a captivating intonation. With members hailing from Venezuela, El Salvador, and of Cuban heritage, hints of their respective backgrounds and Miami culture are shined upon in their sound.
Today, the quartet announces the March 12 release of As Sweet As I Was, their debut EP with Super Music Group. To accompany the announcement, Jaialai shares the video for “Victor’s Belt.”
Vocalist & guitarist Oscar Sardiñas elaborates on the video: “It was shot during a beautiful sunset on a rooftop in Mexico City. Jovi had just recently moved there at the same time as our good friend and cinematographer Fahad Asvat. The building is an old one, full of magic (with tile work done by Diego Rivera). Fahad and Jovi starting talking and got to building this character who ended up being something a bit different from what they planned, but just what they were looking for.”
On As Sweet As I Was, each song tells a story and sets a mood throughout the EP. “These songs are more bouncy and melodic, which is odd considering they were written at the beginning of a global pandemic,” says Sardiñas. “But maybe we were trying to contrast the social climate.”
“It’s about the loss of innocence and the challenges of letting go and facing the world by yourself,” adds guitarist & vocalist Jovi Adames. “It’s also a reference to looking back and trying to learn from our mistakes and to find ourselves again amidst the world we are leaving at the moment.”
Rounded out by Mario Lemus on bass and Richard Boullonon drums, Jaialai’s goal is to recreate a live feel in their records. Miami New Times says, “Jaialai has earned its title as one of Miami’s most exciting rock bands” and As Sweet As I Was follows the release of last year’s debut LP Say So and Culebra EP in early 2020.
“We wrote and recorded this EP during the lockdown and were living apart at the beginning of the writing process so it was a phone and email collaboration in the beginning,” continues Sardiñas. “It also comes on the heels of an EP we released right before the pandemic which never received a proper tour so in some ways As Sweet... was us putting on the blinders and staying full steam ahead to stay afloat.”
The ethereal “For Today” and powerful “Vesuvius” display the range of a group not limiting themselves in any way. They also expanded with new recording techniques and instruments such as mellotron and xylophone. “Backseat Driver” is a special track for Adames, that sums up many of us at the end of 2020. “It makes me feel a certain kind of way. Like when you struggle in your life and you eventually find a resolve but you’re tired from the battle you fought.”
Aren’t we all.
