In Spanish, the word camino means ‘path.’ It’s also the title of the latest EP from Plàsi which celebrates creative freedom, self-discovery, and the courage to walk your own path.
By Graeme Smith
Feature photo by Amanda Gylling
Camino opens with the subtle percussion and atmospheric guitar plucking of Father’s Eyes. The vocals are soulful and instantly arresting during a stripped-back first verse before understated electronic textures come in, providing a pleasing richness to the instrumental. It builds to a stirring crescendo that sets up the rest of the EP perfectly.
“I was searching for a grounded feeling where you could feel the acoustic elements without losing the bigger picture,” Plàsi says of the track. “I finally found that sound on Father’s Eyes. It’s about the toxic relationship we can have with our parents. We don’t want to see or learn from our similarities. Instead, we’re just trying to be different from them. The lyrics are like a discussion between a father and a son. You get both sides. However, there’s a hopeful undertone. Maybe we can learn from one another instead of focusing on our differences.”
Waiting for Signs bring with it a bright bittersweetness and combines organic acoustic with cosmic electronic elements. The lyrics are captivatingly soul-searching. Efiga is moody and has a Latin flair. Heights maintains this moodiness while bringing a catchy dark pop energy.
Title track Camino diffuses that moodiness with a final moment of lightness. It’s gentle, swaying rhythm is infectious and Plàsi’s vocals are at their most charismatic there. “For now, I walk my camino,” he sings in its chorus. “It’s not the easiest thing to do,” he admits, “in this world, we’re put in boxes… but I remind myself to follow my own path instead of worrying about what others think.”
As a mission statement, Plàsi has nailed it and his new record sounds like little else out there. “It’s a playful EP where I really live out my musicality,” he says. “I’m showing off my own roots and not being ashamed of who I am.”
Plàsi is the project of Greco-Swedish singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Mikael Bitzarakis. Now based in Amsterdam, he brought his latest record to life between there and Stockholm. Collaborating on Camino with him are Hannes and Linus Hasselberg.
“Creating music and sharing it has opened up this Camino for me,” Plàsi explains. “It’s saved me in dark times and helped me enhance the happy ones. Living out my passion has made me a better person—more human, less opportunistic.”
Camino is out now via Nettwerk. You can give it a listen below.
