Tóxica by Lido Pimienta is unsettling, but there’s a dark allure. The singer is over toxic relationships, and we can all celebrate her establishing boundaries. This woman scorned has not moved on yet, though, and so she chants her disapproval, sometimes even snarls it. It’s more curse than lament.
Lido Pimienta is Columbian. Latin America is home to a genre of literature known as ‘Magical Realism.’ They are tales told about people, families, lovers, enemies. There is, however, always something otherworldly at work. Imagine, if you will, emerging from your house, only to see a black flamingo on your porch. It could happen.
In the video, we see Lido Pimienta dancing in a witchy wood, braids flying or tangling in bare branches. She is in certain points accompanied by two silent children, one wearing a Victorian mourning bonnet. She is surrounded by a trio of people draped in ghillie suits, faceless as ghosts.
There is a rich production that features shakers, flute and percussion in what is a nod to traditional Colombian music. No, it’s not a nod. It’s something more aggressive, like a piercing glare. And then there is some hip hop-style sampling and a bit of gangster aura on the part of Pimienta. She’s charismatic and eccentric. and, according to my research, has been critically noted worldwide for a decade.
There’s something here, it’s just hard to explain. As for the genre, I propose Colombian Darkwave or Magical Alt Rock We’ll see if either designation catches on.
–Sarah Torribio
See more songs of the day curated by Sarah Torribio HERE
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