Romeo by Sega Bodega | Album Review
Sega Bodega’s sophomore release sharpens his electronic sound in this new conceptual piece.
Listen to Romeo on Apple Music and Spotify.
Prior to finding Shygirl’s work, Sega Bodega’s production and sound was completely off my radar. Come to find out I was more well versed with his production than I thought. Sega Bodega, the monkier for electronic artist and producer Salvador Navarrete, had crafted the more wild and spastic sounds of hyper-pop artists like Dorian Electra and Brooke Candy. While his EP Self*Care was bit too jarring for my tastes, Romeo is more accessible sonically. The concept behind the record is from this fictional girlfriend Luci, named after Lucifer, that Navarrete had for a photoshoot:
“I was thinking of a few ideas and this one just popped into my head. I was like, ‘oh, that’s actually really strong.’ I can never really see something before it’s there, especially with photo shoots and stuff. I’m always like pleasantly surprised, but I never go in with an image in mind. And I remember really wanting to do this image where I’m sat on a bed and this person made of light is holding me from behind, which is the artwork for one of the singles [‘Only Seeing God When I Come’]. And I just remember seeing that, and then I kind of was like, ‘this is not just a photo shoot, this is my whole album.’ I saw that as kind of a big sign.”
Salvador opens the album with the abrasive sounds of “Effemanicy”. The cut and spliced vocal patterns take on the aggressive tone of an more violent opening electronic beat. Navarette told Paper Magazine the following on constructing the bizarre vocal patterns on the track:
“This was the track that made me decide I needed to start trying to vocal the beats I would usually just send over to a rapper or someone with a rougher style of vocal. I would usually just assume I wouldn’t fit over something like this, but I’m so happy with the balance of aggressive and calm. It’s probably in the top three of the whole album.”
As he states above, this transposes into a cool synth beautifully. The song appears to open around the idea of this fictional girl falling for the feminine side of Salvador’s personality. The darker edge of the song plays well to the sense of being held down in the lyrics, “Celestial boy and I just wanna find sky/ (Look at the fallen angel)/ I go, simmerin’ below/ Let go of my wings.” Long time collaborator Shygirl even provides a vocal piece on the track. I really enjoy his chaotic yet ethereal sound here.
“Angel on My Shoulder” takes a much more glitzy electronic sound. I really like the blend of EDM and electro-pop elements on this track. The effected placed on his vocals give this rippled feeling like singing underwater. Navarette told Paper magazine the idea of the song came from the notion of young lives lost or never created being your guardian angels:
“I was with a friend who means a lot to me and started to imagine what it would be like if we never met, and I would have had no idea how much this person would mean to me. Then I started to realize that there are people I will never meet who would have changed my life, maybe due to dying young or just never having been born, and the idea that those people are our guardian angels.”
His more shimmering production gives the pity he feels towards these beings more depth, “Angel on my shoulder, it could not be you/ Children growing older, friends you never knew/ Wish we could have told her, all the things we knew/ Angel on my shoulder.” His comparison of this character “Luci” to empyrean beings adds a layer of both beauty and tragedy to her.
Salvador takes his production into a darker, hip-hop inspired territory on “All of Your Friends Think I’m Too Young for You”. The dark electronics mixed into this song continue the ominous tone of the project. There is something rather off putting around the lines, “Call me when they tell you it’s better that you end it/ I promise I won’t send another message to your friends/ I won’t be offended if you start recommendin’/ I take my toys and go find someone else to play pretend.” The theme seems to be more around his youthful demeanor that her friends find incapitable with her maturity level. There still is an icky vibe around this theme that I can’t shake.
“Only Seeing God When I Come” mixes a softness with his more EDM heavy production. I think the inclusion of the more retro Mellotron flute samples against the gentle dance beat makes for a fantastic listen. This maybe one of my favorites for its ethereal tone. Salvador feels very humbled by this woman’s perfection. It’s in the moment that he realizes this moment of bliss is only fleeting, “Heaven is a place we can’t find/ Heaven is a place you belong/ I don’t even know where I’m from/ Only seeing God when I come/ I’m a living hell on the run.” The title of the song adding to the desecration of the otherworldly connection through its sexuality. I really like how the production emphasizes the ethereal nature of this woman.
The soft autotune and building production on “I Need Nothing From You” brings to mind Bon Iver’s “Banks”. Navarette told Paper Magazine that he wanted to invoke a gospel vibe to the track:
“A few years ago, me and bea1991 were jamming an idea with a couple different ideas in it and somewhere in the middle was this very quick section. I was listening to ‘Down to the River to Pray’ by Alison Krauss a few years later and wanting to create this same sense of gospel feel. It’s my favorite song, I think, from the album.”
His building vocals convey this holy feeling as the fills more or more with a choir of voices, stomps, and claps. The repetition of, “I need nothing from you/ But to give me my time/ Isn’t that everything we wanted?/ Just to feel alive,” sees Salvador trying to reason his stance on taking time for himself. It’s move to self reflection is built up by the gospel inspired production.
“Naturopathe” brings in French singer/actress Charlotte Gainsbourg to add vocals to the track. Charlotte and Salvador’s vocals contrast beautiful under the viscous sounds of the synth bass. Navarette’s lower register, which gets exaggered at points, creates a sort of good/evil pull when compared to Gainsbourg’s breathy delivery. A large portion of the song is sung in French. The lyrics speak to the fruitless hope that these natural remedies will heal them of this ache/depression, “Sorcerer Naturopath/ You are a good talker… Sleep quietly with your oils/ They freeze your brains well/ Hello doctor, I want to look elsewhere/ A sleeping pill, I get laid [translated from French].”
Salvador brings in friend and electronic artist/producer Arca to add vocals to “Cicada”. The duo do well to pair some of the colorful aspects of Arca’s sound with Navarette’s sharper electronic tones. The track has a beautifully milky yet effervescent quality. Arca and Navarette play well to this call and response take they do between verses. Salvador compares the continued thoughts of this woman to the hidden broods of cicadas lying dormant underground. Arca’s response, sung in Spanish, see her asking that he try to find fondness and joy she still has.
The title track,“Romeo,” is one of the oldest tracks to make it on the album. Salvador’s production bridges the aspects of pop and electronica in a very accessible manner. His vocal processing bring to mind some of Charli XCX’s more experimental work, albeit without an as aggressive hyper-pop edge. This is Navarette’s processing of the loss of this relationship. He compares this tragedy to the love of Romeo and Juliet, “Past life Romeo/ Take my love and come home to me/ Won’t be alonе with me/ And let me lovе you.”
“Um Um” is touching ode to the loss of friend and producer/electronic artist SOPHIE. Salvador had this to say on the song’s origin:
“I had SOPHIE in my mind the whole time I wrote this. I would never have imagined I’d be writing a song like this for her and I hate that this is where we’re at. Isamaya Ffrench, who is one of my dearest friends, is the vocal carrying the whole instrumental. She’s my go-to person for ideas. We sort of whipped this instrumental up really fast one random day.”
The layering of the vocal hums add a neon quality to the song that pours light around its edges. The layers of voices that Salvador put together in each section give the song a touching bittersweet vibe. His words, “See you in the sunshine/ See you when the, see you when thе rain comes down/ I see you in everything/ Evеn though you’re, even though you’re not around,” provide a poignant dedication to a life taken too soon. The tone of confusion, anger, and pain come through beautifully in the verses. Of all the tracks on this album, this one is hands down my favorite.
The final track on the album, “Luci”, as a slightly hyper-pop leaning through its pitched and effected vocals. Navarette’s production gives a Spanish flair to this moody electronic piece. This ends out the cycle of this relationship as Salvador still aches and wonders on what Luci is doing, “All we wanted was a soul/ Run forever just to stay away from being cold tonight/ Sit here obsessing on my throne/ Are you sleeping better on your own? I don’t wanna be alone.” This more chaotic tone pairs well with the obsession he still feels for this woman who has moved on.
Overall, I was impressed by my first foray into Sega Bodega’s work. I can see why his reach into the works of Shygirl, Brooke Candy, Nuxxe, and Bjork. His ability to mix bright beautiful tones with the crunch of the more chaotic sounds in electronic music make for a constantly interesting listen. The largest bulk of the record was extremely enjoyable. The only track that hit a bit odd for me was “All of Your Friends Think I’m Too Young For You”. The overall concept of this relationship with “Luci” flows very well from start to finish. I am very interested to listen to Salvador’s debut album as well as his features/production with other artists. If you are a fan of more experimental electronic music, you’ll really enjoy this conceptual piece. My overall thoughts on this project:
Loved it: “Effeminacy”, “Angel on My Shoulder”, “Only Seeing God When I Come”, “I Need Nothing From You”, “Naturopathe” (feat. Charlotte Gainsburg), “Cicada” (feat. Arca) & “Um Um”
Liked it: “Romeo” & “Luci”
Disliked it: “All of Your Friends Think I’m Too Young For You”
My overall rating: 8.0 out of 10.
