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May 18, 2021 By Caleb Campbell Photography by Lali Campo

The couple behind rock duo Disturbios acts as a meeting of two different musical worlds. One half is Rocio Verta-Ray, who comes from the film and philosophy worlds and first entered music playing organ in Spanish surf bands. On the other is Matt Verta-Ray, who is best known as the guitarist for ‘90s alt rock outfits like Madder Rose, Speedball Baby, and Heavy Trash. Together though, the pair’s disparate roots form something new as they experiment with a heady vintage mix of rock and roll aesthetics and analog gear.

The pair are releasing their full-length debut record May 21st but they’ve now returned, sharing two final singles from the record, “Surf Gnossienne” and “Summer Love.”

“Surf Gnossienne,” the instrumental track of the pairing, recreates ‘60s surf aesthetics in a slinking darker mood. Playing off of French composer Erik Satie’s Gnossienne pieces, the band recontextualizes Satie’s compositions as a sinister mood setter. Rocio Verta-Wray declares, “Satie is not just for First World War documentaries anymore! We churned this haunting mood piece through all the galvanic dreaminess of our ‘60s surf-lounge echo box.”

Meanwhile, “Summer Loves” sways and waltzes through a similarly ‘60s inflected haze with British singer Gemma Ray offering her vocal talents to the lovesick ballad. Ray takes the viewpoint of a girl, steadfastly overlooking her partner’s infidelity in an effort to keep the summer romance alive. As Rocio explains, “My Darling plays around and I pretend not to care. I know it’s the balmy summer air, the twinkling evening light that tricks me, keeps me high on the fumes of this doomed love affair.” The track is undeniably a vintage throwback tune at its core, yet it feels undeniably fresh when revived by Rocio and Matt’s resonant artistry.

Check out the two tracks below and watch for Disturbios, out May 21st via Midnight Cruiser Records.