Release Date: 17 January 2025
Song Count: 10
Duration: 33 minutes, 47 seconds
Rating: 7.9/10
Description:
An artistic visionary on the rise, Bogotá-born multi-instrumentalist and performer Gabriela Jimeno Caldas, going by the stage name Ela Minus, has been pouring the furthest depths of her emotions in a musical medium out since the beginning of the decade, today's work of hers only being her second album released following acts of rebellion in 2021. Expressing complex concepts and messages via self-produced electronic music over a span of 10 tracks, DÍA proves itself to be an album with a lot to say and with even more going on behind the scenes that is left unsaid, but nevertheless felt in the music.
The echoing of synths, sirens and low bass lines expands across the soundscape of the album behind the frequent use of low-contrast techno beats as the main instrumental focal point, and the polished and distant singing of Caldas, alongside its frequent distortions, round out the fresh yet simultaneously familiar sound of the tracks. Lyrics are sung in both English and Spanish, and progress naturally through Ela Minus' mental state and inner emotions navigating through troubled times in a highly metaphorical and poeticised manner. This is a reflection of the actual writing and production process of the album itself, given that Caldas moved out of her longer-term apartment and lived out a nomadic lifestyle whilst writing the first half of the tracks, traveling to countless cities to stay in short-term and going through many life experiences on the way.
DÍA is a record with not only a winded and rich backstory behind its creation process, but also a unique identity to itself that shines through its entire runtime without washing away any of the highly unique elements of the individual tracks. Through clever song titles and structuring and artsy and inspired lyricism that hits in the feels much harder than one may anticipate, it really leads one to take the entire experience in and perhaps even think about one's own life for a moment - and the ear-catching, flashy and yet unassuming electronic instrumental serves as the icing on the cake to the entire experience. Even whilst going in with an open mind, the quality and amount of layers within this album highly surprised me positively, and it really sparked my interest in witnessing what Ela Minus is bound to cook up next in her musical journey.