Although they first debuted earlier this year in April with their romantic lead single “Daruma,” funk trio DARUMAS are wasting no time and are jumping straight into the music world on their self-titled debut album and their recent performance at San Francisco’s Outside Lands. Up next, DARUMAS will perform at the Rumbazo music festival in Las Vegas.
Leading up to the release of their full-length project, bassist Aldana Aguirre of Argentina, Cuban-American vocalist/guitarist Ceci Leon, and Haiti-born vocalist Vedala Vilmond took their name from Daruma dolls, Japanese good luck charms. Their name is just one of many nods to their international roots, but their real goal is to play live shows for people who want to hear something familiar that fuses styles in a new and exciting way.
“Darumas is a band formed by three amazing girls,” said Vilmond. “We are three musicians from different parts of the world,” said Aguirre. “…and three very different backgrounds,” Leon continues, “that are all inspired by similar music, and trying to create something new with one another.”
Aside from the quality of the album, which in itself is more than impressive for a band still starting out, the laser-focused attentiveness towards preserving Latin funk while taking it into a pop-leaning direction is DARUMAS’ main accomplishment. “Mago,” which also came with a music video, finds the three jamming out during what must have been a fun recording session. Vilmond, while wishing a former romantic interest a fond farewell upon realizing she isn’t missing out on anything, matches the jumpy energy and speed of her fellow bandmates, who all operate as if they’ve been playing together for years and years.
As is the case with all seven tracks on the album, the Spanish lyrics to each song not only pair well with their Latin funk inspiration but also explore the ups and downs of love and their own personal growth over the past few years. Closer “Qué Suerte” leans even more into their optimism than any other previous song on the tracklist, appreciating what happened before rather than being hung up on what’s already passed. It’s also one of their most relaxed tracks, showing off their already substantial range out of the gate.
Despite first meeting and working together through the Internet before forming in Miami to record their album, it became apparent that one of their primary goals was to make music meant to move crowds at live shows. With Outside Lands in the books and a Rumbazo appearance already on the horizon, it’s easy to see the three playing bigger and bigger crowds with the way they can get you moving this early on in their career.
Words: David Sosa
DARUMAS by Darumas is out now on all streaming services. For more on new music and upcoming shows, including their performance in Las Vegas at Rumbazo, follow them on Instagram and TikTok.
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