Posted by Boy Pablo cemented himself as an indie bedroom pop-rock darling early in 2017 when his single ‘Everytime’ unexpectedly tickled the YouTube algorithm’s funny bone. Suddenly, he was recommended to anyone who had so much as thought about indie music.
In this part concept, fully-fledged coming of age album, Pablo Muñoz plays the role of Watchito Rico, a young man plagued with relatable teenage problems such as heartbreak, unrequited love and struggling to get a top lip warmer.
With Pablo’s simplistic lyrics on tracks like ‘I Hope She Loves Me Back’ and ‘Hey Girl’, it is easy to feel like you have fallen backwards through a time portal to your teenage years; with spacey phaser-soaked guitar lines making the experience feel extra wibbly-wobbly.
As the album progresses the storyline becomes skewed and less linear but eventually sees Rico going through the three act structure of a typical 90’s rom-com. ‘Leave Me Alone’ sees Rico attending a party with his completely uninterested love interest, and through tracks like the splendidly Spanish ‘Te Vas // Don’t Go’ and ‘Come Home’, we see Rico depressed and alone waiting for a girl who will never arrive.
Watchito Rico takes a quieter, uplifting turn for the end of the album with tracks ‘Nowadays’ and ‘I <3 U’ that close the album perfectly. The story goes in full circle with Rico once again pining for a friend and getting himself into a relationship that won’t work. Rico has learnt almost nothing over the course of the album, except for the fact that he will be baby faced until he reaches his thirties.
Boy Pablo has once again crafted a concise, beach-worthy, summer bedroom rock set of songs, perfect for any indie kids’ “at the beach” playlist.
7/10
Words: Mason Meyers
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