Artists Worth Checking Out: Cafuné

Image courtesy of btwberkshires.com

Cafuné started out in 2014 as a duo consisting of singer-songwriter Sedona Schat and producer Noah Yoo. They both met while studying at New York University. They actually appeared in the same viral video with Pharrell who made Maggie Rogers famous. Eight years later, they hit it big going viral with TikTok on the song “Tek It” from their 2021 album Running.

The band’s name is from the native Brazilian Tupi language, and later was adopted into Portuguese. In rough translation, it means the gesture of a person running one’s fingers through a lover’s hair. Oooh la la, I bet you can picture those romantic movies and old television commercials from decades past.

On both their album and their Love Songs for the End EP, which debuted on October 13, 2023–they bring a club, dance like atmosphere on every song. They fall into more specific types like dream pop, indie-pop, and alt-pop.

In a June 3, 2021 article on the indie rock website Stereogum, longtime columnist Chris Deville described the single “High” as:

“What begins as a languid, Blonde-esque minimalist guitar swoon quickly evolves into something more like indie-pop bossa-nova, then pivots into an even dreamier sound somewhere between Clairo and Alvvays.”

Think of acts like Magdalena Bay, Sofi Tukker, Slowdive, or some favorites on the indie rock music scene in 2023 such as Mitski, Caroline Polachek, and Sophie Ellis-Bextor, just to name a few.

Among the favorites from their album that I enjoyed were on Track 4, “Everyone Knows” and Track 2 from their EP titled “Demise.” A true New Year’s Eve type feeling, or music for any party that your heart desires. I feel this is a great album for summertime at the beach or tapping in your car with the Spotify app ready to go.

In a May 2016 article on The Fader, Schat in an email response had this to say about the song “Don’t You Forget.”

“‘Don’t You Forget’ is about self-love as a continual act, something that you have to work at. In a world that makes you feel like you should hate yourself, you have to actively make the decision that you’re going to love yourself— and then you do things to reinforce that.”

Isn’t that what the magic of Christmas is all about? Loving each other and loving yourself–even though you may not receive everything on your holiday list. 

Personally, I find many indie rock artists pursuing similar avenues for success. But the line between the next breakout act and those struggling even to put a tour together, the lines are getting further apart more than ever.

Thanks in large part to Spotify paying only something like 0.00000037 cents for each play of a song makes zero sense. There is a lot of money to go around, just ask college athlete in the United States taking full advantage of their Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL.) It is a major difference in putting your heart and soul into creating a piece of music that they enjoy sharing with the world or just a small group of people inside a neighborhood bar.

In my Christmas message on my other blog covering men’s Division I college basketball, I spoke about why those who are struggling just to put food on the table and have a roof over their heads at night should not be ignored. One artist in particular came out with a great album in the summer of 2023 that deals with the dominant topic on why temperatures have gotten warmer by the month, in what turned out to be the warmest global temperatures on record.

Here is the link, and please feel free to leave some comments there if you get some time:

A Christmas Message

Climate change is still real, it always has been and hopefully things will turn in the opposite way to protect our dear and precious Planet Earth.

Besides, we need to continue to support others, not just during times of disaster–but also in calmer times. Think also about those who might be struggling–whether mentally, physically, or financially speaking. Ask for help. If you feel things are spiraling out of control, call 988 or chat online at 988lifeline.org and try to get therapy 24/7/365, even during holidays.

Every year during the Christmas season, I always think to myself that things are going to get better. And every year, it feels the opposite in that we set high expectations and the results fall way flat or we make multiple attempts similar to having to scale a very large wall with very little rope. No matter what obstacles that life throws at you–even if things are bleak, never ever give up.

A saying I have attached over my desk says:

Good ones do for themselves
Great ones do for others

To remind me of a baseball statistic, I am batting over .500 in terms of opening presents that match my holiday wish list. Some years, I am totally surprised and hearing the stories behind how they found each gift that I didn’t see coming makes me appreciate that the older I get, I understand why the spirit of giving is what makes this time of year truly magical.

As the timeless holiday saying goes,

Peace on Earth, Good Will Towards Men (And Women.)

Merry Christmas/Feliz Natal to all and hopefully Santa will get what you want underneath your Christmas tree.

Hopefully, the Brazilian bossa nova scene will dig for more in 2024.

We will get back on the jazz train sometime in January. Have a safe, healthy, and prosperous New Year.