There are a few countries in the world where I don’t have much music from and Peru is certainly one of them. Hailing from Lima, the geographically confusing singer/songwriter Budapest released her EP ‘Conifera’ in 2017 and whilst she works on new material for later this year, I thought it’d be a great time to revisit an unusual EP.
The reason why I find ‘Conifera’ unusual is because it merges lots of aspects of South American instrumentation subtly with more traditional acoustic folk-pop. The opening tracks of ‘Outnumbered’ and ‘The Gate’ are lush and expressive ballads. The acoustic guitar has a lute-like quality. The keyboards are soft and warm. The percussion is often tuned and embossed with forest ambient sounds. Yet these tracks are definitely folk-pop songs with the usual verses and choruses. Budapest’s voice is sweet and innocent sounding but also has a hint of wisdom with it too.
The title track also hints as Budapest’s interesting chord structures. These aren’t your standard chords, they often clash momentarily with the vocal melody to create a mystical tinge with the discord. ‘Morning’ on the other hand has a vintage early 70’s hippy vibe to it. The only real uptempo track is the closer ‘East’. Here, Budapest shares more in common with world folk veterans like Murray Kyle. It’s an acoustic folk anthem with soaring chords, free lyrics and a strong splash of home.
If you are looking for some light and delicate pop-folk that has a South American flavour to it, Budapest should be someone to check out. Her latest single ‘Chaka’, which came out earlier this year, shows a step towards incorporating a splash more electronica production into her music. If that’s the case, I am very excited to hear where she goes in future.
Recommended track: The Gate
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Budapest - Conifera
