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Photo: SJ Spreng

Blending indie pop with nostalgic sounds of the '70s and '90s, LA-based BEL is an artist whose releases are never less than striking. Her latest double-single includes the daring “Nos Despedimos” and the musing “Window Shopping,” showing her prismatic range. 

“Nos Despedimos” opens with a dreamy guitar loop, contrasted by confident drums. She paints a gauzy scenery of overlapping vocal layers and arpeggios, spinning into a reverb-laden soundscape. BEL weaves this ethereal foundation, creating a light juxtaposition for the slight sass at the heart of “Nos Despedimos.” Her vocal tone is casually cheeky, not quite scornful but more forward-thinking and bristling with attitude. It matches the gutsy heartbeat of the drums that drive ahead beneath her voice. 

One standout facet of “Nos Despedimos” is how BEL shifts seamlessly in and out of Spanish, delivering the hook bilingually. She sings, “Nos despedimos perdices / Hope you laugh when you see this / No going back and I mean it.” This smooth infusion of Spanish leans into the casual coolness BEL’s accomplished with this track and also lets listeners into another part of her life. 

While “Nos Despedimos” waves a playful goodbye, the other side of this double single, “Window Shopping,” lingers for a moment in feeling. An expansive acoustic guitar starts the song, paired with atmospheric synths. They pluck out a ghostly melody, living in the same world as the dreamy sounds of “Nos Despedimos” but with a pang of heartbreak now. BEL’s vocal layers are especially captivating, as her lead lines are framed with low harmonies. She’s composed as she sings, “I could make you coffee, I could be a morning person / Now I’m folding laundry, and I’m buying blackout curtains.”

It’s a bit of an offhand sound, with introspection bubbling enough beneath the blasé surface. BEL’s expression lends largely to the range of emotions captured in the intentional arrangement of “Window Shopping.” There’s the ache of longing in the synths and the disappointment in the vocals, but still, the determination to move on persists in the cyclical guitar. 

These singles work in tandem to showcase BEL’s honest and multidimensional artistry, leaning into complementary sides of her sound. 

Listen to “Nos Despedimos” and “Window Shopping” below: