Thiago Trosso showcases his authenticity and experience as a songwriter and artist on his resonating new album MAGNET
An artist with a storied history as part of the punk, ska, and reggae scenes and over 20 years of experience under his belt, Thiago Trosso is a Brazilian-born, London-based singer-songwriter who has just released his first album as a solo artist, a collection of tracks that explore a range of themes and ideas through the artist’s resonating and ever-immersive writing.
The album opens with the defiant ‘Dead To Me’, with the first taste of the album as a whole coming in the form of Thiago’s impassioned vocals and hard-hitting guitars as the artist explores existential themes in his own distinctive and fiery fashion. ‘Coma Calm’ keeps the momentum ticking over in its own way but is also littered through moments that show more restraint, making for a Jeckyll and Hyde listening experience that the kind of deftness that Frank Turner’s more shapeshifting and unpredictable sounds often possess.
The alluring guitars of ‘Future’s Looking Bright’ make for some tender and intricate moments as the artist continues to muse about life and the paths we take in his own engrossing way. It is this writing that really sets Thiago and his releases apart, looking at the world around us and the choices we make in a way that feels truly authentic and real, leaving a resonating and lasting imprint on you as a listener.
The more stripped-back and vulnerable feel of ‘More Than Friends’ does a really charming job of exploring a love that has since been lost and does a great job of creating an intimate and candid atmosphere that elevates the meaning of the word and gives it a real sense of heart and warmth, while ‘Cheap Wine & Sad Melodies’ has a more punky flair while still exploring themes of loss, sadness and personal shortcomings with a real sense of deftness and personality.
While a lot of these tracks can feel like they explore themes of loss and hardship, the upbeat rhythms and infectious sense of character and uplifting spirit that resonates through Thiago ensures that they never get bogged down in their subject matter and always have a sense of life and energy to them, giving the album a resolute feel and a sense of resilience that comes alongside the trials and tribulations that occur.
There is a poppy charm to ‘The Phoenix’ that embodies this upbeat appeal, a track that is packaged as a piece of peppy commercial ska that does a great job of articulating the vibrant and energetic heart at the core of the artist and his sound, punctuated by a soaring chorus that feels as revitalising as anything you’re likely to hear anytime soon.
Following the thoughtful acoustic single ‘I’ll Take The Stairs’, the album closes out with ‘RIP’, a track that has a really reflective and cinematic feel throughout, with Thiago joined by another female vocalist, making for these gorgeous, textured harmonies that give the track a bit more of a grand and memorable edge to close the album out. The album’s closer feels like a summation of the themes and feelings that are explored throughout the collection of tracks, coming together in the form of a meticulously crated ballad that surrounds themes like closure and being able to move on from a love or a situation in a way that feels graceful and composed.
It offers a really compelling and measured end to an album that serves as a rollercoaster of emotions, with Thiago Trosso leaning on his years of experience and the journeys he’s been on to craft authentic and heartfelt takes of struggle, loves gained and lost, and renewal, through a sound that crosses through familiar territory and styles that is elevated by the personality and sheer heart that he brings to the table.
