- Despite its international renown, Barcelona's Hivern Discs is generally a local concern, with occasional releases by the likes of Man Power and Teengirl Fantasy far outnumbered by records from the often under-appreciated Spanish and Catalan scenes. Mavin & Guy's first record for the label is somewhere in the middle of these camps: despite online claims to hail from Jordan and the uninhabited sub-Antarctic Bouvet Island, the pair are Italian but resident in the Spanish territory of the Canary Islands.
The title track feels pan-European. Its fat bassline frames it as an Italo roller early on, but it takes a surprisingly tough EBM left-turn through a growling vocal refrain and thundering kick drums. A shimmering synth-led breakdown and blissful pads just about re-establish the summery feel by the end of this excellent opener. Everything about "Canción (Para Ti)" creates the feeling of spiralling forward motion. The rhythm of its simple Spanish-language vocal mimics the track's snares as a tumbling bassline, claps and corkscrew arps propel things ever-forward. It's less essential than the title track, but it has a bright, 8-bit charm of its own. The slowly buzzing closer "The Man Who Lost The Hat" doesn't add a huge amount to a package on which the title track is the clear star.
TracklistA1 Egoísta
A2 Canción (Para Ti)
B1 The Man Who Lost the Hat