Meet Sueños, a daring four-piece from Cape Town who have slowly been crafting their elegant psych-rock sound over the last three years. Tempered by dreamy synths and lush, murky instrumentals, their music is a landscape begging to be explored.
They first started writing music together as a two-piece in Stellenbosch, until the band officially formed in 2021 and relocated to Cape Town, made up of Hans “Hanno” van Vuren, Hough Maritz, Pieter Labuschagne and Lourens “Lou” Swart. Word quickly spread and after an epic live show at Potjie Party hosted by That Eclectic, they knew they were going to be in this for the long-run.
You only need to look at their album covers to imagine what the sound of Sueños looks like. Monotone deserts, white skies. Nature appears as some kind of monolith and it is this same organic grandeur that translates into their writing.
The word “sueños” means dreams, and is of profound significance to the band. “Beyond its linguistic translation, the word symbolises the exploration of the unconscious, transcending the confines of reality to unveil the infinite landscapes of the human psyche,” Hanno tells me.
The first thing about Sueños is that they don’t just make music. They endeavour to create sonic experiences. While they’ve only released a handful of singles up to now, every track feels like a journey in and of itself. Unpredictable in structure. Winding, sinuous, complex, until you suddenly find that you’ve arrived somewhere quite beautiful.
“The first songs came about from fleshing out multiple ideas that Hanno and I brought to the table, mixed with a good dose of experimentation,” says Hough. “I had these almost flamenco-style guitar riffs and Hanno brought a nuanced jazz feel to the drums. Pieter fleshed out the words and Lou brought some experience into the mix to glue everything together.”
Having been steeped in Cape Town’s DIY psych-rock scene for years, spearheaded by Psych Night, Sueños were and still are hugely inspired by their peers. “We also draw from the likes of international bands such as Corners, The Buttertones, Heaters, Allah-Las, Bambara, Dans Dans and Sunglasses For Jaws,” says Pieter.
Their debut EP, False Dawn, is set for release next month, and what we’ve heard so far is very promising. “Alone” is a playful indie work-up exploring human melancholy and the inexorable passage of time. It sounds like a mouthful but the music is quite the opposite. It’s simple, it’s open, tinged with Casablancas-style vocals and clunky guitar riffs. With dynamic shifts and powerful melodic tension, it reminds me a lot of King Krule, moving between subdued surfgaze and post-punk jazz.
And then there’s “Sonic Seas”, which is equally juxtaposing in style. “The EP serves as a poignant reminder that life is a tapestry woven with contrasting threads,” says Pieter, “where the interplay of light and shadow, joy and sorrow, creates a nuanced and rich mosaic.”
These contrasts are what make Sueños so inviting, and the result is a hybrid of genres that feels new even for Cape Town, with its thriving psych-rock scene.
Catch them live this Saturday 4 May at The House of Machines. Show starts at 9pm.
