1940 Carmen by Mon Laferte

Mon Laferte is a Chilean folk star who is based out of Los Angeles. And the first track on 1940 Carmen is a song about arriving in the city and how she felt about it, Algo Es Major is a light and wholesome number that sets the tone for the album.

The name, 1940 Carmen, comes from the Airbnb that she stayed at during her time in California and she says that her intention had not been to write an album while she was there. 

But her personal life became so emotional, that she just had to escape through music. 

We’re glad that she did. What makes 1940 Carmen work so well, is that it’s sung brilliantly and the lyrics are pained and heartbreaking and it’s underscored so discreetly with the acoustic guitar that you feel like you’re gazing through a window into Mon’s breaking heart. 

The track A Crying Diamond, is a song about abuse, and it’s one of her first ever English language songs and it really gets under your skin. As does a Beautiful Sadness which is almost haunting. 

That’s not to say there are no happy moments on this folk masterpiece, Nina, for example, is dedicated to the child that Mon conceived in LA. But every moment is raw and emotional and that makes this album so easy to connect to. 

You can grab a copy online here.

Nicholas Barang

The first time Nicholas went to a live gig, 31 years ago, it turned out to be an Iron Maiden secret gig and he became hooked on the music scene. He was one of the founding writers for Astro Zombie a heavy metal and new world techno-inspired zine and his interview with Rob Caggiano of Anthrax brought in over 300,000 readers. He’s based out of Southeast Asia now, but his love of music is as strong and diverse as ever.