Kristina: By the time the session was recorded, you had released the Incendiada EP. How much have your ambitions changed since then?

Blanco Teta: Yes, at that time we had already released Incendiada EP. Since then, we’ve put out two new albums: Rompe Paga (2023) and La Debacle de las Divas, released this year!
Being a self-managed project, DIY requires an immense effort all the time. Our ambitions have shifted towards growing in terms of the team, being able to create new alliances with other projects or production crews in different countries around the world, and deepening the search for our sonic identity.

Kristina: You mentioned that there haven’t been any breaking points in your career so far, but I’d like to return to the session we discussed earlier and ask whether that fits into fulfilling a wish?

Blanco Teta: Yes, of course. We grew up listening to and discovering bands through KEXP. For us, it was a dream come true to be invited. sure!

Kristina: Your live performance orbited around the cello, and I must admit, I felt scared for it at times. Since you don’t have an electric guitar to smash, do you ever feel like smashing the cello?

Blanco Teta: No. The rockstar performance of men smashing guitars on stage feels a bit outdated and doesn’t represent us. Plus, the cello is insanely expensive!!! Do you know how much a cello string costs? Hahaha, impossible in every way!

Kristina: Well, that makes sense. 
Your music is fresh and filled with unease, it feels like something you look forward to like doing something wrong as a kid, but you can’t help it because it’s so exciting. Did you ever feel this way about any band in your community, or simply in life?

Blanco Teta: Yes, when we were teenagers, for example: Sumo, Sex Pistols, Nirvana, Jimi Hendrix, System of a Down.

Kristina: There is always something to be angry about on this weird planet, and there is a lot of passionate anger in your new release, La Debacle de las Divas. The anger is directed at useless tradition, consumerism, capitalism, and the never-ending striving for perfection. Is it hard for you to find peace of mind, a place where you can be on your own, without being pushed into the everyday shallowness and emptiness? 

Blanco Teta: It’s complicated, this world is falling to pieces and we’re just surfing the wave of shit. We use our music as a cathartic channel, as a refuge.

Kristina: A hand perfectly visible in the dark, long pink nails, golden rings, a broken finger, a cigarette – it doesn’t take more than this to make a perfect album cover. In The Wire magazine, they have a section where each month someone chooses their favorite album cover, and I can imagine yours appearing there sometime in the future. Has it ever happened that you lost strength or were about to give up on something that means the world to you? And speaking of album covers, which one do you (all) think best describes your inner self? 

Blanco Teta: Wow, thank you for appreciating the album cover that way. It really is incredible. Hopefully, it will appear in The Wire someday. We’ve been reading that magazine since we were very young. Honestly, those kinds of crises come up all the time, especially lately when existence itself feels so complex. Our latest album cover is the one that represents us the most. 

Kristina: The album’s title, La Debacle de las Divas, instantly reminded me of Fountains DC’s A Hero’s Death album. There is no other connection, but there is something soothing in not giving the audience what they want, and in owning your debacle, even if it’s not literal (because it’s amazing). Are you keen on performing unexpectedly, improvising, surprising fans in any way, and sometimes refusing to give them what they want?

Blanco Teta: What we love the most is improvising, shifting characters depending on the show and the energy we have at that moment. We don’t think about what people expect or want from us. Our audience isn’t homogeneous anyway, so it would be impossible. The only constant is giving everything we’ve got, both energetically and in terms of connection at each show.

Kristina: There is also a slight association with failure; do you take inspriation from it, too?

Blanco Teta: Yes, of course. It’s a critique or parody of success culture, of the idea that an artist has to be a “young promise” in order to be successful.

Kristina: Sin nafta serves as a perfect break on the album, giving us just enough time to hide in the corner and think briefly about what we’ve heard so far. I love that about calmer songs in an album that feels like a hurricane. You mentioned that your music is cathartic, so was recording and releasing your latest LP also cathartic? Do you feel exhausted now, or quite the contrary?

Blanco Teta: You’re better than our therapist < 3  These questions are spectacular. So glad you liked the energy of Sin nafta! It’s placed right at the end of side A, so you can take a pause, breathe, light a cigarette, and flip the record over. Yes, the composition, recording, and full production of this last album were cathartic. We all live in different countries, and every time we meet, it’s about coexisting and being 100% immersed in what Blanco Teta is. We all have very special and strong personalities, and we love that intensity in itself. Now we’re starting the album tour and that keeps us ecstatic. But yes, of course, we’re always exhausted. Doing everything independently is a lot of work, it's not just about making music.

Kristina: Thank you for the kind words! Which Buenos Aires bands would you recommend, and what good things have you heard about Serbia? Are you thrilled to be here?

Blanco Teta: She Devils, La Piba Berreta, Sara Hebe, Lucy Patané, K4, dum chica  We don’t know any Serbian bands, we only know about the country’s history, and also what’s happening politically with the protests. It’s similar to what’s going on in our country right now. We’re very excited to play there for the first time. It’s definitely going to be an incredible experience.

Kristina: Yeah, for the past eleven months, student protests and riots have been going on; we are all in the mood to revolt and to fight for all sorts of things that are being taken away from us. I am really looking forward to hearing all the songs against oppression and fighting for equity. Thank you!

Blanco Teta: Thank you so much for this amazing interview. See you very soon!

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Author of the cover photography: Paula Suarez