Camaleão Borboleta

With 12 years behind them and half a dozen albums and EPs to their name, Graveola are one of the leading lights of Brazil's independent music scene, known for their post-tropicália indie-pop sound and their solidarity with student movements and social issues. With Camaleão Borboleta it feels as if we’re hearing the results of their longevity and status, as this is the group's most mature release to date. The sound is fuller, the compositions are tighter and each one of the group's three lead singers sound savvier than ever before. The carnivalesque pop songs that they’re best known for are still present – as on the breezy ‘Talismã’ and the stunning ode to Brazil's indigenous people, ‘Índio Maracanã’ – but they are that little bit more understated than before. Their new-found maturity shines brightest on ‘Sem Sentido’ and its juxtaposition of a slow Céu-like bolero verse with an upbeat chorus, but this maturity comes at a cost, as it has replaced the naivety and ramshackle charm of their earlier works. In other words, while it may be their most cohesive and accomplished work – especially in terms of the songwriting – it's also their least fun record to date.