Kult - Chama

Inspired by the Soneto De Fidelidade, a poem by Vinícius de Moraes, the Minas Gerais singer Kult, baptized Max Souza, gave his third EP its name. Entitled Chama, the material aims to show that love relationships are surrounded by emotions that arise during the interactions offered by life.

The electronic sounds suggest a mixture of softness and contagious sweetness. With large doses of freshness and a delicate sensuality, the song is adorned by guitar sonars that suggest a subtle flirtation with soft rock, while Kult enters the scene with his deep timbre and a rapped lyrical cadence. Responsible for delivering more organic textures, the rapper's voice even manages to offer regionalist touches with his comfortably Minas Gerais accent and makes Princípio an opener about love and passion. As a cheerfully attractive track, it proposes a reflection on the way relationships work. It proposes reflecting on attitudes, on valuing small details, on making the most of time, on deciphering every silhouette and body mark. Princípio is the fusion of intensity with delicacy and respect. A tangent of horniness and passion imbued with the wisdom of mutual satisfaction.

Beginning with a seductive atmosphere as the soundtrack to a properly narrative dialog, the track soon communicates the symmetry between two voices representing two sides of the same situation. Alongside Kult, a deep but feminine voice enters the melodic scope. Mac Júlia, with a timbre that is very reminiscent of Pitty's voice, helps to make Meio a song that shows a protagonist without the courage to take on the relationship and without the ability to value the one next to him. However, Meio is where both sides of the couple show themselves to be intense and impulsive in their ways of justifying the flame of passion. Sometimes only carnal, the relationship is impoverished and, as Kult himself suggests, "pecamos por excesso ou exceções, justificando o meio, o fim".

The sky is filled with a discouraging shade of gray. Melancholy and sad, it leaves the earthly environment in a deep state of torpor, but unable to cancel out the sadness that plagues the chest. The fine rain that runs down the lawn and collects in small puddles is like guilt, remorse for attempts not made and words not said. This is how Fim is born, weepy, dramatic and downcast. Led by the backing vocals of Luiz Brasil and Thaís Moreira, adding an extra touch of sensuality to the curiously swinging rhythm, the track features Kult paraphrasing on two occasions two of the verses from Hyldon's single Na Rua, Na Chuva, Na Fazenda (Casinha De Sapê), while the character is invaded by a sense of the inevitable conformation of the end. Curiously, Fim has a good sense of awareness and reflection based on the protagonist's questions about attempts to maintain something that has already been disfigured. Even so, the song is touching when the protagonist continues to be embraced by a sincere hope of reconciliation, even though he is deep in the sadness of the breakdown of the partnership of passion.

It's like sitting barefoot on a rock by the sea, watching the infinity of the horizon. Thoughts come and go at an immeasurable speed. Sadness is mixed with happiness, gratitude, hope and comicality. A whirlwind of dissynchronous feelings that take away the notion of sense and lucidity. With the soft sonar of a delicate guitar and an equally soft rhythmic beat, Reticências exudes a timidly swinging freshness that carries, like a linear continuation of the hope of Fim, the possibility of a fresh start. In the company of Thaís' delicate backing vocals, Kult finds herself dealing with the guilt of deeds done and the longing for someone hurt by miscalculated actions. Reticências is, therefore, a song full of anguish and agony fostered by the doubt of an individual held hostage by the weight of his own conscience and addicted to the question of whether getting back together is really possible and feasible. Deep down, the purity of his desire begs for a new chapter. No wonder the protagonist says "prefiro reticências, boas histórias pedem continuação".

It brings a start of cheer among the swings provided by electronic sonars. Fresh, but not as fresh as Princípio, the track is accompanied by a slight touch of soft rock amidst the modern pop. Even so, what stands out in Date is its reggae base, its uncompromising and unencumbered energy and, above all, the fluid softness with which it invites the listener to travel through a light scenario. Light because of the relaxed atmosphere and light as a Friday night. Date is the portrait of the last-minute meeting, the improvised one, with no rules, no recipe, but built by the impetus of the moment. The piece is Chama's most serene, fluid and organically captivating composition, after all, it has a pure essence of entertainment, of making out, of mutuality of interests.

It does have tracks that represent the beginning, middle and end of relationships. From this point of view alone, Chama would be the life story of a love affair, from its birth to its death. However, it deals with other things that permeate such coexistence. The EP represents happiness, guilt, sadness, but also an addictive hope in the idea of starting over.

Fun and light-hearted, but also dramatic and heartbreaking, the material delves into the consciences of an already unsustainable relationship, even in the face of attempts to maintain its healthy structure and even the pure and touching declarations of the desire to continue alongside the person you love.

It's indisputable, however, that what remains of Chama is the libidinous and provocative energy of Princípio, as well as the fresh Date, with its contagiously relaxed and fun energy. The song, by the way, acts as an interlude between the middle and the reticence of a relationship, after all, it brings a mixture of the relaxed fervor of courtship and the unconscious attempts to keep the foundations of that same affective bond firm.

Placing Brasil in the role of mixing engineer, Kult allowed the EP to transcend rap and embrace the stylistic guises of soft rock, reggae and modern pop. This gave the work a freshness and lightness that made it radio-friendly but not commercially appealing.

Rounding off the technical scope is the cover art. Signed by Joyce Santos and Lucas Mota, it features Kult sitting on a bench in the middle of a flowing river holding a flaming bouquet. From there, the image suggests several interpretations, but the ones that stand out is that the flaming flowers symbolize both the mourning of the break-up and the ardency and libido of the relationship. Water, on the other hand, brings fluidity and therefore represents reticence, the possibility of starting again, the continuity of life. And nature symbolizes the purity of feelings, whether good or bad.

Released on 12/01/2023 in an independent way, Chama is an EP that takes you through the good, intermediate and sad moments of a relationship. Always with a hopeful bias for a fresh start, the material exudes guilt, but also celebrates the joys and fun that a sincere passion can bring.