On September 26th, the Capim Cósmico project presented its new single, “Delírim Blues,” released by Marã Música on all digital platforms. The track, which blends psychedelic blues with folk rock influences and references like Bob Dylan and The Beatles, stems from an intense personal experience of musician Mateus Cursino, transformed into poetry and sound. With arrangements written in partnership with Matheus Leite and Zé Abreu, the release marks the end of the project’s first cycle and paves the way for the debut album.
“Delírim Blues” was born from an intense personal experience. What was it like transforming something so delicate into poetry and music without losing the authenticity of the experience?
My need to compose has always stemmed from some concrete experience. Despite featuring some psychedelic elements, Delirim was no different. The real experience surfaces in some passages, but overall, it’s submerged between the lines.
The song strikes a balance between pain, pleasure, and liberation. When you think of this “delirious blues,” what feeling would you like the audience to take away with them after listening?
The blues, at its core, is a music of lamentation created by Black Americans. The term “blues” comes from “blue devils,” which referred to hallucinations and feelings of discouragement and disturbance. Delirim Blues is dense, with no chorus, just sonic collages and hallucinatory passages. It’s a bad trip in song form.
You cited references like Bob Dylan and the Beatles. How did these artists interact with the psychedelic and existential side of the track?
It completely echoes Bob Dylan. Desolation Row is one of the clear references. Dylan speaks of a real event, but in such a surreal way that it’s not evident in the song; it just seems like “crazy stuff.” The instrumental, arranged by Matheus Leite and Zé Abreu, has a strong connection to the Beatles’ album Revolver.
The single connects with “Montanha,” closing a cycle of Capim Cósmico. What has changed for you since the release of the first single until this moment of completion?
In fact, there’s no significant sonic change. Both songs were produced by the duo Matheus Leite and Zé Abreu, essentially in the same context. I had a demo, and together with the producers, we worked on the arrangements. I recorded vocals and guitar in my studio and sent it to them to finalize along with the demo I’d already made. Both tracks are part of this first cycle of the Capim Cósmico project, before the album’s release.
The name Capim Cósmico is loaded with existential and transcendental metaphors. How does this concept relate to the worldview you convey in your music?
Capim Cósmico is essentially a solo project. I didn’t want to use the name Mateus Cursino on the front. One of my main influences is the band Os Mutantes. There’s a song by them, on the album Os Mutantes e Seus Cometas no País dos Baurets, called Todo Mundo Pastou. And for a moment in my life, I also “grazed.” Capim represents this, while Cósmico symbolizes the karma (or karma) we all carry.
You worked with partners on the drum, bass, and guitar arrangements. How did this collaborative process help bring to life a song born from something so intimate?
For the full album, which will be released on the Marã Música label, I felt the need to do something solo and more intimate. I recorded everything quickly in a week. However, for these two singles (Montanha and Delirim Blues), which won’t be on the album, I felt the need for more people to be involved. I was fortunate to have two special musicians and producers: Zé Abreu, drummer and technician, responsible for mixing and mastering; and Matheus Leite, a partner in other projects I’ve had, a great musician and composer on the Trem do Nada project.
The sound blends folk, blues, and psychedelia. Do you see yourselves more as musical explorers or as translators of your own experiences into different sonic languages?
In Montanha, I used rural rock as a reference. In Delirim Blues, I brought in North American folk. Both blues and folk are strongly present in my sound and in these first two Capim Cósmico singles.
“Delírim Blues” paves the way for the upcoming full-length album. What kind of journey do you hope to offer listeners with this upcoming work?
Delirim Blues sets the stage for the upcoming album. It’s a dense, raw, and real work, full of genuine experiences and hallucinations, created organically by a solitary person. I don’t know how widespread this album will be; it might not even be heard much, since people prefer playlists these days. But it’s an authentic album, made with passion. I played drums, bass, and guitar, and the mixing was done by producer Renato Cortez.
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