Bipolarity never sounded so good.
Words like “catchy” come to mind when listening to Fernando’s Enter to Exit, but they’re not quite right. “Catchy” can’t adequately describe the pleasant way “The Reluctant Diety” gets stuck in your head, or how after one listen to the melody of “Everybody Knows,” you feel like you’ve known it all your life. Enter to Exit isn’t just catchy — it’s bopping-shamelessly-around-your-room-in-your-favorite-pair-of-underwear catchy.
But words like “melancholy” also come to mind when listening to the album, though they, too, aren’t exactly right. “Melancholy” just doesn’t capture the abject longing in the weavings of the muted trumpet through “Mariana,” or the mournful sighs of the steel pedal in “Another Day In My Head.”
Balancing extremes like these is a difficult task, but Enter to Exit nails it, smoothly alternating between infectiously bouncy pop and wretchedly depressing, country-inflected rock. Supporting every song is a solid base of classic rock — a Rubber Soul-esque guitar strain here, an atmospheric darkness à la The Doors’ more pessimistic moments there. And just to keep things interesting, small but potent details, like traditional music from Fernando Viciconte’s native Argentina or the subtle hint of a woman singing behind his confident vocals, surface throughout the album. The result hooks into you with an aggressive urgency that’s hard to ignore, and a familiarity so profound it seems almost like Fernando isn’t just playing music — he’s uncovering something that’s already in you.