Just above Carolina Olivera's right breast is a small tattoo with the words "Abya Yala. For those unfamiliar with the term: many descendants of indigenous inhabitants of the continent of America, and those who sympathize with them, prefer to call that area Abya Yala, which means "mature land" in the language of the indigenous Kuna people. It immediately gives an idea of the activist slant of the
… band, which, like (and together with) the Black Lives Matter movement, is committed to getting rid of colonialist thinking. Colombian Olivera and her bandmates, all Latinos living in New York, play a psychedelic mix of cumbia, rock, tropicalia and even reggaeton. Certainly in Olivera's vocals, elements from Colombian and other South American folklore can regularly be heard. Iré is thus not only a product of the woke movement, but also an extremely danceable record that is musically cleverly put together. (JV)more
