Genís Bagés - MENTAL (2024) Hi Res

Genís Bagés’s debut album, MENTAL, is a succession of tracks that show the artist’s wide variety of musical interests and abilities. Bagés, a superb drummer who pursued his formal education at Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya (ESMUC) and Musik und Kunst Privatuniversität der Stadt Wien (MUK), demonstrates here that he also is an imaginative sound artist.

For MENTAL, he recorded the drum kit and all percussion parts, including the orchestral bass drum and cymbals. Additionally, he developed his own pitch-based, harmonic language through digital synthesis. The result of this peculiar combination of percussion and live electronics generates a lush and eclectic album based on clear-cut, minimal motives that create enigmatic atmospheres.

Conceptually, MENTAL touches upon some of Bagés’s obsessions, such as the psychological impact of social media on young people, alienation in today’s complex societies, and the perception of the world through the lens of mental disorders. These ideas are emphasized through the use of literary sources, which include poetry by Catalan writer Gabriel Ferrater in “Metrònom” and Edgar Allan Poe in “Alone.”

MENTAL is a precious album, which demands the active attention of its listeners. This is music to listen to in its entirety, from beginning to end, far from daily distractions. The trip is guaranteed.