“Porta” is a brand-new single by Brazilian band Quarto ao lado. Written during the COVID-19 pandemic and the isolation that came with it, the track captures a deep sense of helplessness, monotony, and a yearning for meaning in the midst of uncertainty.
The track builds gradually, from just guitar and vocals, then eventually the whole band comes in, but the song retains its softness. In my experience with Brazilian music, mostly jazz or traditional, there is something about the language itself, and the intonation of the language which is very musical that makes the writing and the flow of the vocal melodies very floaty, usually accompanied by a guitar like in this song. I am saying this mainly for people in the West who have predominantly listened to Western music. The best way to describe this style is that everything is like a gentle wave. The drum beat with the ghost notes and the “dance” between the guitar parts and the bass create a musical wave, on top of which the vocal is gracefully floating. It is a loop that does indeed create a sense of monotony, but it’s a hypnotic and dreamy one and actually made me play the song on repeat for quite a while!
Written by Spiros Maus
