The music that Bern-based outfit Da Cruz has been making for the last couple of decades or so has always been rooted in the upbringing of frontwoman Mariana Da Cruz. Born near São Paulo, Mariana leads the group–producer Ane H., guitarist Oliver Husmann, and percussionist Pit Lee–in performances that draw on Brazilian styles with African roots. New album Som Sistema is the group’s seventh full-length release, and it hits as hard as anything they’ve put out in the last 20 years, if not harder. It feels like a pinnacle for the group in terms of both contemporary dance sounds and political statements, and while Da Cruz have never been short on either of these things before, they truly pull no punches here.
The opening track, “Rolexxx”, sets the stage perfectly. Straightforward synths and thudding bass evoke South African amapiano and gqom, laying an electric foundation for Mariana’s characteristically fearless vocals. Her delivery moves between playful and scornful as she lays into materialism and artifice. As the album goes on, she keeps it refreshingly blunt.
“Chata”, which features Nigerian rapper Magugu, might be the album’s most thrilling cut, an intense shatta-inspired piece in which Mariana challenges a lover to be with her not despite but because of her impatience for niceties and pretence. “Sou chata, chata, chata!” she chants: “I’m annoying, annoying, annoying!” It’s a liberating listen. So is “Glamorosa”, a celebration of female sensuality.
Other songs take a more serious approach, often in discussions of postcolonial conditions in the Global South. “Choro Choro” has hot rhythms and hotter sentiments, pointing to colonial legacies of oppression, racism, and incarceration and refusing to regress to such times, a high-energy protest parade. “Nosso País” calls for radical moves toward equality and justice across Brazil. The rapid-fire beats of the closing track, “Zezé”, add urgency to a story of anti-Indigenous violence and disenfranchisement. The subject matter here is hefty, and despite how catchy the music is, the band still handles each topic with appropriate sobriety.
Freedom in truth emerges as perhaps the key message of the entirety of Som Sistema. Mariana starts and ends “10 Noites” with a warning as brassy as the trumpets behind her: “Cuida da puta da sua vida!” Just afterwards, over the trap beats of “Vamos Embora”, she expresses solidarity for, perhaps, sex workers who live in danger due to others’ perceptions of their jobs. In the middle of her song is an especially powerful philosophical message. “A liberdade é o limite para a mente / Da gente,” she says: “Freedom is the limit of the mind of the people.”
It’s always remarkable to hear a group keep getting better and more relevant over multiple decades. Da Cruz have always made good music, but Som Sistema resonates with particular aplomb. The combination of African, South American, and Caribbean pop styles, timely themes, and impeccable club vibes makes this an album worth listening to and relistening to. Mariana Da Cruz remains a formidable frontwoman, and everything she has to say here is worth your attention.