Impressing with a heartfelt, eclectic sound that spans from anthemic rock to tasteful sophisti-pop and punchy synth-pop, Sign in the Stars is the debut album from Luciano Mendonca, based in St. Petersburg, Florida. Themes prove poignant alongside, pursuing elements like the impact of technology on humanity (“Dancing in the Sky”) and the impacts of environmental destruction.
“Side of Things” opens the album with questioning the chaos of things, struggling to comprehend “why human beings need to be so cruel.” Smatterings of heavy guitar distortion accompany traverse into a nostalgic, jangly hook with brisker vocal inflections, musing on how “the little things that don’t really matter,” tend to be over-emphasized. A series of striking melodic shifts pair with catching lyrical introspection for a compelling kick-off to Sign in the Stars.
The highlights continue from there. “Vinoy Park” embraces a yearning sophisti-pop appeal, as lounge-set piano and gentle vocal melodics combine for a sound that reminds fondly of Prefab Sprout’s Jordan era. “Desires” struts a decisive synth-pop vibrancy, showing off Mendonca’s more infectious vibrancy, which meshes with anthemic rock and moody sophisti-pop alike throughout the memorable Sign in the Stars.
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“Vinoy Park” and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Emerging Singles’ Spotify playlist.
We discovered this release via MusoSoup, as part of the artist’s promotional campaign.
