Sometimes certain moments call for certain music, and soundtracks become built into our daily experience. Ola Podrida provides music for such moments, whether it’s driving through the rain, watching the sun set, or enjoying a beer on the beach. The moments that often submit to reflection are the ones most closely related to this music.
The band is the brainchild of David Wingo and has been based in Austin, TX for a good while, after a significant stint in New York City. Wingo’s first release under the moniker was a self-titled album released in 2007. The sound on that record was atmospheric Folk/Americana with Wingo’s sweet voice tumbling out of delicate guitar chords. Without spending too much time talking about his lousy day job scoring indie films, you might recognize Wingo from collaborations with David Gordon Green, Jeff Nichols, and Explosions in the Sky. The newest record from Ola Podrida, Ghosts Go Blind, came out this past April and kicked things up a notch.
If unfamiliar with Ola Podrida’s discography, a first listen of Ghosts Go Blind could sound pretty mellow, but there is a sense of urgency. Tracks such as “Speed of Light” and “Staying In” are spirited — backed by a mix of careful and persistent percussion, scintillating guitar picking and Wingo’s voice holding it all within reach. To get a sense of what this shift sounds like, look to bands like Neva Dinova, Hotel Lights, and Album Leaf. It’s easy to spot the atmosphere built by patient arrangements.
Photo: Aubrey Edwards
Ola Podrida is currently on tour. Before their June 13 stop at Cafe Du Nord in San Francisco, Wingo dove into the new album with me. He said, “This time I was really just wanting to finally make a more immediate rock record — one that I wrote with the band and tracked live in a studio, and didn’t labor so much over the background as I did with the first two… It was something I’d been itching to do for years.” The result is a more urgent sound that still somehow maintains the signature, introspective writing style that Wingo is known for.