Juan y La Hormiga: show at the Fira Foios Festival in València

Argentinian singer-songwriters Juan Pablo Mazzola and María Mathe are performing at the Fira Foios Festival in their hometown València on May 15. They named their EP after the city: "A careful mix of elements of power pop and alt-country, a seamless sonic trip that ends way too soon. It is about love, while the world is raging outside their bubble. Naive? Prone to bouts of escapism? Well, sure, but also offering the comfort that the power of finding a true connection is the best medicine while trying to cope."

» Juan y la Hormiga on Facebook

HCTF review of València

Juan y La Hormiga: "Cupid's Arrow" video

Argentinian singer-songwriters Juan Pablo Mazzola and María Mathe have made a video for Cupid's Arrow, a track from their València EP: "A careful mix of elements of power pop and alt-country, a seamless sonic trip that ends way too soon. It is about love, while the world is raging outside their bubble. Naive? Prone to bouts of escapism? Well, sure, but also offering the comfort that the power of finding a true connection is the best medicine while trying to cope."

» Juan y la Hormiga on Facebook

HCTF review of València

Juan y la Hormiga: València

Argentinian singer-songwriters Juan Pablo Mazzola and María Mathe teamed up for an EP inspired by the Spanish city València, their current place of residence. It is a careful mix of elements of power pop and alt-country, a seamless sonic trip that ends way too soon. It is about love, while the world is raging outside their bubble. Naive? Prone to bouts of escapism? Well, sure, but also offering the comfort that the power of finding a true connection is the best medicine while trying to cope.

Melancholy, beauty and a subtle sense of humour are the key ingredients of this batch of songs. And since València is a city of many faces - and most of them rather fetching, it is perfectly feasible that they will come up with a second helping in the near future. Cupid's Arrow could not have picked better spot to hit its mark.

Juan y la Hormiga: After The War

Juan Pablo Mazzola and María Mathe have teamed up for an album that was inspired by the Spanish city València, their current place of residence. Lead single After The War serves as a first taste. It is a hybrid of power pop and Americana that came out quite well, with optimism getting the better of pessimism in the end. Their voices fit together seamlessly, so getting the harmonies right was easy.

» Juan y la Hormiga on Facebook

Cover Me: Rabbit Fighter

Argentinian power pop musician Juan Pablo Mazzola (Baby Scream) teamed up with singer Maria Mathe for a live rendition of Rabbit Fighter, a track from the T-Rex album The Slider. The clip was filmed by Fabio Mogrovejo Florentini.

» babyscream.blogspot.com
» Maria Mathe on Instagram

Baby Scream: Sad Balloons

Argentinian power pop musician Juan Pablo Mazzola is working on a new Baby Scream album that will see the light of day sometime next year. He did a bit of house cleaning and has just released Sad Balloons, an album with a bunch of covers, alternate mixes, early demos, and singles to keep him in the picture. Some of the material from the early days comes close to punk and hard rock.

The rollicking Britney Has Left The Building was previously released in 2016 on Flavour Of The Month via Swedish label Ice Cream Man Power Pop and More Records, way before the current shit storm with her father in the midst of it, with his dubious role as her conservator. Including it as a prime example of serendipity. Mazzola is serious about the current state of the world and it became the main theme of the album. He channels a really angry Kurt Cobain with the brash Fuck This, before turning it down a notch with a subdued cover of Nirvana's I Hate Myself and I Want To Die.

Baby Scream: Guts

Argentinian power pop musician Juan Pablo Mazzola tackles family issues and loneliness on Guts, the new single by his Baby Scream project. He was about to snap and wrote a song about it: "Fuck my brothers, cousins, etc. Fuck 2020." Producer Nick Schinder lends a hand on keyboards.

Baby Scream: Just Covers

Argentinian power pop maestro Juan Pablo Mazzola pays tribute to his heroes on his new Just Covers album, the latest release from his Baby Scream project. It's mixed bag of reworked mainstream hits like I'm Not In Love, Karma Chameleon and Time After Time, a surprisingly gentle version of Sepultura's Roots Bloody Roots and a touching adaptation of Aaron Neville's Tell It Like It Is.

While all of the afore mentioned tracks will be familiar to most listeners, the inclusion of songs from the hugely underrated Fastball (Warm Fuzzy Feeling) and Orville Stoeber's Stay Forever, My Love, from of the cult horror classic Let's Scare Jessica to Death, make this collection more that just a sop gap release. Mazzola always inserts a little off-kilter weirdness into his own songs and thankfully that signature approach is still very much present on this album as well.

Baby Scream: Things U Can Say To A Stranger E​P

It's been a few years since the last release of Argentinian power pop maestro Juan Pablo Mazzola and his Baby Scream project. He returns with the concise Things U Can Say To A Stranger EP, five sad songs about trying to cope with life in general and the uncertainties of being a songwriter in particular.

Now living in Spain he has found his bearings and there is glimmer of hope poking through the darkness. Mazzola's signature nasal delivery and reliable acoustic guitar take center stage. Backed by a band who can channel the sound or the early Seventies Baby Scream is ready to return as an appreciated cult act and cognoscenti favourite.

Baby Scream: Life's a Trap

Argentine musician Juan Pablo Mazzola foregoes his usual full-fledged power pop approach on the new album of his Baby Scream project. Life's a Trap is rather subdued - most of the songs deal with getting older and trying to rekindle the passion in a relationship. Mazzola is good-natured about it though and his sense of humour prevails most of the time. With just his voice and a guitar - and some help from long time collaborator Nick Schinder on organ, piano and backing vocals, he pokes fun at his own uncertainties (Wish You Were Beer) and the twists an turns in the career of struggling singer-songwriter (The Road Bends).

The Ballad Of Music Biz feels a bit out of place - what's a song about a clueless industry that is running around in circles doing amidst a bunch of tunes about the perennial misunderstandings between men and woman? Originally released as a single it could have been the launchpad for an angry EP or album about that subject matter.

Multiverzal: Multiverzal

photo: Juli Rec

Argentinian duo project Multiverzal is a collaboration between Mariano Azcurra (Clusterbeat) and Juan Pablo Mazzola (Baby Scream). For their self-titled debut EP they reworked four songs, two from each band. Mazzola's songs were translated into Spanish and sung by Azcurra, and vice versa. Honoring the boundaries of the concise pop song, they keep it short and sweet. The piano driven Triste en Berlin is all over after one minute and 48 seconds and You Lost the Keys Again needs a little over three minutes to tell a full story.

Mazzola leans to melodic rock and Azcurra is a more self-conscious singer, choosing his notes with care. If they want to carry this project any further, it would be nice to hear a couple of new co-written songs. They might end up with a torch song embedded in glam rock and power pop.

Baby Scream: Fan, Fan, Fan / The Worst Of ...

After releasing his Greatest Failures in 2014 the usually very prolific Juan Pablo Mazzola of Argentinian power pop project Baby Scream went silent for a while, safe for the release of the double A-side single Haters Will Hate b/w I Don't Wanna Wake Up From This Dream. Turns out that he has been extremely busy sifting through his stash of 200 unrecorded songs with his long time friend Nick Schinder to pick the tracks for two albums: Fan, Fan, Fan and The Worst Of ... available as a 2CD set and two separate downloads.

Baby Scream:
Juan Pablo Mazzola: vocals, electric guitar, lead guitar
Tiago Galindez: bass
Nick Schinder: backing vocals, Hammond organ
Claudio Salas: drums

Fan, Fan, Fan
Short and sweet angry songs, that's what Fan, Fan, Fan is about. Mazzola is a loner on this one, at odds with the world who can't get over the fact that people are being stupid. A lot of the songs were written while he was living in Germany. Although he was welcomed he never quite fit in and felt homesick. "I am a loner, I am a loser, everything is fucked up in my world // No one loves me, no one cares, no one gives a fuck about my words". Odds are that he is the protagonist in the orchestrated neo-glam rocker A Human Being On Mars.

Mazzola paints a bleask picture. By contrast the songs are wrapped in technicolor neo-psychedelica.

Fan, Fan, Fan is a self-released album. Buy it from their website.

Tracks:

1. Everybody Sucks
2. Back To Douche
3. Loner
4. Cheap Perfume
5. A Human Being On Mars
6. Captain Hook
7. Haters Will Hate
8. Just For A While
9. The Girl Next Door
10. The Kitty Song
11. I Don't Wanna Wake Up From This Dream
12. Blue In Berlin

The Worst Of ...
Despite its title this isn't another "best of" as such. Unlike it's companion it lacks an overall theme. It's a grab bag of 22 originals plus five covers including a couple of previously versions of TV theme songs). Mazzola dips his toes into lounge jazz (My New Dope), throws in hard rock riffs (Overdosed) and pays tribute to the Kinks and Big Star in a single swoop (This Fucked Up World).

Getting through twenty-seven songs will put off most listeners, but you will find new favorites each time you pop into player. Obvious stand-outs like the fuzzy Wake Up Call and the catchy Words Like Knives will pave the way to the lonesome Weltschmerz of Car (Upon The Stars).

The Worst Of ... is a self-released album. Buy it from their website.

Tracks:

1. Mistake
2. Pieces Of Me
3. Unicorns
4. As Long As It Hurts (I'm Fine)
5. Shooting Stars
6. My Very Last Mistake
7. This Fucked Up World
8. Overdosed
9. Car (Upon The Stars)
10. Politicians R Bullies
11. In A Picture
12. Wake Up Call
13. The Sounds Of Clacks
14. Tear After Tear
15. Words Like Knives
16. Sparks
17. Sparks (Acoustic)
18. My New Dope
19. Beers And Public Buildings
20. Xmas Tree (All Pain Is Left Behind)
21. Ice Cream Man Theme Song
22. Flirting With Disaster / Beatles Medley
23. 20th Century Baby (T. Rex cover)
24. The Concept (Teenage Fanclub cover)
25. I'll Be There For You (The Rembrandts cover)
26. Cruella de Vil (From the motion picture "101 Dalmatians")
27. Scooby Doo Theme Song (From the tv series "Scooby Doo, Where Are You?")

» Baby Scream on Facebook

HCTF review of Greatest Failures.

Baby Scream: "Haters Will Hate" b/w "I Don't Wanna Wake Up From This Dream"

It's been awhile since Argentinian power pop project Baby Scream released something new. Their latest two albums were a Best Of and an expanded edition of their self-titled album. The new single Haters Will Hate b/w I Don't Wanna Wake Up From This Dream serves as the forerunner for new full-length that is pencilled in for a January 2015 release.

Main man Juan Pablo Mazzola is big John Lennon fan and the subdued Haters Will Hate aims high with its lyrics painting a future that isn't particularly bright. Don't Wanna Wake Up From This Dream show a glimmer of hope, but it's content is pretty bleak as well. Nick Schinder takes care of the piano and strings and by downsizing to a duo Baby Scream has reinvented themselves as a soft-spoken and serious act. Recommended if you like Chris Bell and Robyn Hitchcock.

Baby Scream:
Juan Pablo Mazzola: vocals, acoustic guitar, bass, lead guitar
Nick Schinder: backing vocals, piano, strings

Haters Will Hate b/w I Don't Wanna Wake Up From This Dream is a self-released single. Buy it from their website.

» Baby Scream on Facebook

HCTF review of Greatest Failures.

Baby Scream: Greatest Failures

Juan Pablo Mazzola, main man of Argentinian powerpop band Baby Scream has collected the best stuff from his back catalog for an album with the self-deprecating title Greatest Failures. The oldest songs date from 2006, proof that he had high standards from the get-go. Had he been carrying an English passport, changes are that he would have been all over the front page of magazines like NME. He is into Britpop with a twist. The Beatles are obviously a big influence, especially George Harrison's guitar tone features prominently.

Mazzolla always finds a way to get his vocals upfront, even when the band lets rip in a track like Every Day (I Die A Little Bit). With a sharp eye for his daily surroundings, he can tell a full story within three minutes or less. If Tim Burton ever tries his hand on a movie about Jekyll & Hyde, he need look no further for the main theme of his soundtrack. Recommended if you like Jordan Galland and The Real Tuesday Weld.

Greatest Failures is released on Eternal Sunday Records.

Tracks:

1. Slut
2. Mars
3. Away
4. Every Day (I Die A Little Bit)
5. Ups & Downs
6. The Riots
7. Morning Light
8. Nicole
9. Ojos Orientales
10. Exile
11. Jekyll & Hyde
12. The Ghosts Of Valerie (feat. Eric Dover)
13. Hit And Run
14. Secret Place
15. Achin’ Eyes

» Baby Scream on Facebook

HCTF review of Baby Scream (Special Extended Edition).

Baby Scream: Baby Scream (Special Extended Edition)

The self-titled Baby Scream album is being re-released as a a special extended edition. Basically a one-man project by Argentinian guitar player Juan Pablo Mazzola the songs are carefully arranged powerpop songs. By adding three mixes by producer Muddy Stardust (Chris Robinson Brotherhood) and an early of stand-out track Jekyll & Hyde the listener is provided with an insider's view of the choices that were made for the final product. Truth be told: the Stardust mixes are inferior - the slightly claustrophobic feel doesn't sit well with the more open-minded approach on the original album.

Still, it's nice to have this album back in print. Recommended if you like early Pink Floyd, Marc Bolan and Jarvis Cocker.

Baby Scream:
Hernán Pascual: lead guitar
Juan Pablo Mazzola: vocals, rhythm guitar
Raúl Marcols: bass
Claudio Salas: drums

Baby Scream (Special Extended Edition) is released on OK Records (UK).

Tracks:

1. Powerpop Crush
2. Exile
3. Jekyll & Hyde
4. Mental Case
5. The Ghost Of Valerie (Feat. Eric Dover)
6. Watching The End of The World (On TV)
7. Nipone
8. Lazy
9. What About You
10. Twenty Seven
11. Jekyll & Hyde(2005 demo)
12. Powerpop Crush Muddy's Mix)
13. Jekyll & Hyde (Muddy's mix)
14. Watching The End Of The World (On TV) (Muddy's mix)

» babyscream.com

HCTF review of Baby Scream.

Baby Scream: Secret Place + Hit And Run

Juan Pablo Mazzola, the driving force between Baby Scream, got his hands on 80 hours of free studio time at Estudio Urbano after been picked as the winner of a proposal contest by Opción Música, part of to the City Government of Buenos Aires.

All songs on Secret Place were written and recorded within two weeks and once again shows his love for melodic Seventies soft rock and power pop. He is a melancholic story teller, singing about childhood (Bad Seed) nightmares Eating My Face and his favorite city (London Sun). Given the limited time span to deliver the goods, there was a fair change that the result would have come off sounding rushed and unfinished. Mazzola, a seasoned recording artist, was apparently totally at ease throughout and came up with ten concise pop songs. The reggae styled Cold Weather Reggae is the sole filler track - it would have been a better idea to use the progressive guitar solo as the basis track for that one.

The album's first single Hit and Run comes with non-album track B-side 20th Century Baby, a Marc Colan demo. Mazzola has an excellent taste in picking covers. His 2007 EP Mothers had Big Star's Blue Moon as a hidden track.

Baby Scream:
Juan Pablo Mazzola: vocals, guitar
Raúl Marcos: bass
Hernán Pascual: lead guitar
Claudio Salas: drums

Secret Place and the Hit and Run b/w 20th Century Baby single are released on Eternal Sunday Records.

Tracks:

1. The Last Call
2. Hit And Run
3. Secret Place
4. Going North
5. Cold Weather Reggae
6. Bad Seed
7. Patiently
8. London Sun
9. The Atmosphere
10. Eating My Face

» babyscream.com

Baby Scream: Baby Scream

Dark powerpop from Argentina. The self-titled album by Baby Scream is an album with lush arrangements, folk musings, lounge lizard piano bits and great melodies that will go down well with fans of Jordan Galland, Jarvis Cocker, and The Real Tuesday Weld.

Baby Scream is a project run by singer and guitar player Juan Pablo Mazzola. As a self-proclaimed classic rock addict he comes up well-written lyrics that fit the music like a glove. His chosen subjects are mental illness, bombs in the playgrounds, just being lazy and girl trouble. With his borderline lackadaisical voice it may take some time to fully appreciate his short stories set to music approach.

Baby Scream:
Hernán Pascual: lead guitar
Juan Pablo Mazzola: vocals, rhythm guitar
Raúl Marcols: bass
Claudio Salas: drums

Baby Scream will be released in December on OK Records (UK) and Recorded Recordings Records (USA).

Tracks:

1. Powerpop Crush
2. Exile
3. Jekyll & Hyde
4. Mental Case
5. The Ghost Of Valerie (Feat. Eric Dover)
6. Watching The End of The World (On TV)
7. Nipone
8. Lazy
9. What About You
10. Twenty Seven

» babyscream.com

Baby Scream: "Nicole" free MP3

A freebie from Argentina. Baby Scream is a project from Buenos Aires based musicians Juan Pablo Mazzola & friends. Nicole is a smart pop song taken cues from the Seventies songwriting icons such as Alex Chilton. It is offered through Bad Panda Records. Bad Panda Records is a free-download netlabel releasing a new Creative Commons licensed song every Monday.

Baby Scream
Hernán Pascual: lead guitar
Juan Pablo Mazzola: vocals, rhythm guitar
Raúl Marcols: bass
Claudio Salas: drums

MP3: Baby Scream - Nicole

» babyscream.com