Hagen

Album Notes & Community Reviews

On their sophomore album 'Hagen', the Mexico City-based duo of cellist Mabe Fratti and multi-instrumentalist Héctor Tosta (I. la Católica) push their experimental pop into more ambitious and maximalist territory. The production juxtaposes accessible, earworm melodies and Fratti's soaring vocals against a genre-fluid backdrop of abrasive string arrangements, thundering metal blast beats, and lush 80s-inspired synth passages. This shape-shifting sonic palette, aided by collaborators like drummer Eli Keszler and synthesist Daniel Lopatin, creates a sound that is both challenging and infectious by reimagining pop structures with a sense of playful discord and avant-garde tension.