LA ROSA NOIR
THE BIRTHDAY INTERVIEW
Photos courtesy of the band
Words by Rebekah Gonzalez
The Chicago Band Reflects On One Year of “Arellano” By Looking Toward The Future
It’s quite effortless to get caught up in the monotony of daily life and forget just how much is constantly changing inside of us and around us. It’s likely that we cling to monotony as a means of coping with the transient nature of life. And it often leads to selling ourselves short of our accomplishments. Birthdays can serve as an important reminder to embrace this existential conundrum. They remind us to reflect and ultimately, receive consciousness’ greatest gift: the ability to be and become simultaneously.
Chicago’s La Rosa Noir has been doing a whole lot of becoming since they released their debut album, Arellano, in October of 2023. For Glitzy’s birthday issue, I was interested in seeing what reflections the band had about the album now that it’s been in existence for a year and some change. Band members Yeshi (singer & rhythm guitar), John (guitar), Christian (drums), and Zachary (bass) were kind enough to chat on the phone with me before a rehearsal. What kept coming up throughout our talk was just how much has changed since they released the album.
While the band couldn’t be more proud of Arellano— an album Yeshi described to me as “the purest way to represent our sound, how we feel, and who we are”— it’s clear that in making it, they have become a better band than the one captured on the album. Their giddiness at making music together was palpable even through the phone. After several lineup changes, including a new bassist, a new trumpet player, and switching drummers in the middle of recording, the band finally feels like they are on solid ground. “Being a musician is not a hobby at all. Well, it’s a very stressful hobby, but it’s worth it,” Yeshi said, “and it’s cool to be with other like-minded people who also think it’s worth it.”
Arellano is already such a confident debut, showcasing their charmingly broody blend of surf, post-punk, and Latin rock. But the conversation below illustrates an even more confident version of La Rosa Noir, ready to refine their Midwest Surf sound and share it with Chicago and beyond.
Glitzy: Thinking back on the time you spent writing and recording Arellano, what emotions come up?
La Rosa Noir: We were just so relieved for it to be out. As an artist, naturally, you always feel misunderstood. So when you produce a piece of art, you kind of present hopes of feeling understood. I feel like, especially being a band that’s pretty mixed genre, and people not knowing [what] to identify us as. [We always thought], “If we just had a piece of work that we could put out and show you, you’d get it! You’d see the vision!” Luckily people have here and there! And now with it out, it’s just relieving because this is probably the purest way to represent our sound and how we feel and who we are.
G: How would you describe that vision?
LRN: Midwest Surf! It’s a mixture of what we do here in the Midwest and the West. It’s an oxymoron because we don’t have waves, right? But we have those Lake Michigan waves! We got waves! [Laughs]. It’s a controversial genre because it’s an oxymoron. We could get a lot of heat from it, but I feel like Surf doesn’t have to be just West Coast, right?
It was really cool when we played a show in Southern California. Not everybody knew that we were from out of town, but some people who knew told us, “We could tell you guys are from Chicago. You’re a little darker, a little colder.”
G: What music was everyone listening to at the time of recording the album?
LRN: [Christian] was on a huge The Strokes kick when we were doing the song “New Gods.” This is how backwards we are sometimes. The drummer really thought the song was country song, and [John] thought it was more of a garage rock song.
G: How drastically did the songs change over the course of recording?
LRN: They changed completely. There were some songs that we had to record like three times. And they were all longer. They just kept going and we had to figure out where we were going to take them and the finished products are what ended up on the album.
G: Now that over a year has passed, how have your feelings about Arellano changed?
LRN: I wish we could do it again now that we have the band that we always wanted. If we could make Arellano how we are right now, that would be great.
G: What would be so different about it?
LRN: Sad Boy for one. We got a new trumpet player, and he’s fantastic. He’s so creative and multi-talented. He’s good at the trumpet, but he’s also really good at keyboards and sample pads. He’s a fucking vibe. I feel like Christian has the foundation, and Sad Boy is like the sky of La Rosa Noir. We also got a new bass player, Zach. He was our first audition, and he already knew the album.
It feels good to be playing music with people who like playing music and who want to play music seriously and put time and effort into it. It’s not easy. We all have jobs. Being a musician is not a hobby at all. Well, it’s a very stressful hobby. But it’s worth it, and it’s cool to be with other like-minded people who also think it’s worth it.
G: How has it been performing the songs live with the new lineup?
LRN: The songs just keep getting better. We’re just having fun, and the songs feel more experimental at this point, in a good way. We’re evolving, and depending on where we play changes the sound. We kind of play to the crowd. Sometimes it’s more of a straight rock show, and sometimes it’s more of a Latino thing going on. Más sabor. So more percussion and more emphasis on the trumpet.
We already have new songs cooking. Ever since Zach joined the band, it’s just added to this wave of new music writing that we’re on. So we’re just itching to release it and move on to the next.
G: What obstacles did you all overcome while making the album?
LRN: Well, we switched drummers. It’s amazing we’re a band at all. It’s a miracle we’ve made it this far. Financially, that’s probably one of the hardest parts about being in a band. You really don’t do it for the money because a lot goes back into expenses like rent and gear. We paid for the recording of Arellano by playing Taste of Chicago. It kind of finances itself.
G: What lessons did you learn from Arellano that you will take with you into making the next album?
LRN: We’re working with the same producer, Alex, and I feel like we have a shorthand now. We did really quick work this time around. It took us about a year and a half to make the first album. He just gets us more, and we can have more fun in the studio.
The sound has also changed. Like we said earlier, we finally have the band that La Rosa Noir needs. The setback this whole time has been having a steady band. It’s been in and out with people, which never gave us the chance to get a vibe going. Now we don’t have to worry about that. Now we’re just locked in and doing the work. Finally!
G: If Arellano had a birthday party, what would the party favors be?
LRN: Eyeliner, lip gloss, and sunglasses. Maybe chapstick so guys can use it too. Joints for sure!
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