Fernando Honorato has named his band after the comic hero and King Arthur’s round table knight, Prince Valiant, so we need to start off presuming that Principe Valiente are primed and ready for action. Either that, or they’ve got stunning bowl cut hairstyles, and ride jet-black steeds.
While Principe Valiente’s sound evokes a modern take on post-punk, there’s also a somewhat Gothic vibe, that is in keeping with their namesake. On ‘Barricades’, Principe Valiente’s most recent album, the sound is the perfect match for the prevailing mood at the moment – dark, brooding, ominous, and destabilising, yet full of richness and portent, and thoroughly intoxicating. It seems as though ‘Barricades’ could only have been composed and recorded during a time as troubled as our current one. Bravely channelling Honorato’s feelings of dislocation, impermanence, and fragility, the album, and lead single ‘Porcelain’, perfectly distil the vibe of both Principe Valiente, and the times in which we are presently living.
On earlier Principe Valiente albums, the singer and songwriter called all the shots, but by contrast, ‘Barricades’ sees Honorato make the most of his talented bandmates. ‘Porcelain’ serves as a showcase for the sensitive but potent drumming of Joakim Janthe, the painterly instrument processing of Jimmy Ottosson, and the dramatic synthesizer playing of Rebecka Johansson. And although they weren’t able to be present in the same room during the recording, they nonetheless have never sounded tighter.
For a moody, immersive song, it is fitting to also have a moody, immersive video. Honorato moves gracefully through the seemingly shadow-haunted frames: dream-drenched, spellbinding, sensual, and shrouded in stylish half-light. Honorato gently brushes his fingers across the exposed skin of a lover as the curl of a long wave approaches the beach; silhouettes of palm fronds whip in the wind. We feel a storm may be coming – unless of course, it’s already here.
Watch the sumptuous music video for ‘Porcelain’ below, and find out more about Principe Valiente and their music online on their official website, Facebook, and Instagram.
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