The band Vespas Mandarinas returns with all the intensity of São Paulo rock in “Polaroid”, a single released on May 22nd by Marã Música. With raw guitars, provocative lyrics, and an atmosphere marked by nonconformity and freedom of expression, the track recaptures the group’s visceral spirit by addressing themes such as authenticity, frustration, and the pressure of current times. In an interview, the members talk about the need to make unfiltered rock, the desire to break with self-censorship, and the will to reaffirm that rock still pulsates with strength and urgency.
“Polaroid” arrives with a very direct, confrontational energy, almost like an explosion that’s been held back for too long. At what point did you feel that this anger needed to be voiced now?
The song has been in the works for a long time. I think it’s been there since the band’s mass exodus and everything we went through afterwards: breach of contract with the record label, pandemic, curtailment of individual freedoms, cancellations, policing by the left, the rise of neofascism and other right-wing ideologies, precarious working conditions. Workers are having to work double shifts while the bourgeoisie pretends to be fighting for their rights. It’s all a big hypocrisy.
You talk about the freedom to say what you think without fear, even in a time marked by self-censorship and fear of cancellation. To what extent does “Polaroid” also emerge as a reaction to this contemporary climate?
Deep down, everyone’s after power. Everything revolves around Sex, Reputation (Followers) & Money. Some pretend otherwise. We’re a bunch of cowardly individualists clinging to the ideal of social justice. That’s our bubble! That’s what I perceive, and notice, in silence. Polaroid is the camera of truth that brings this to light and refuses to condone the current hypocrisy and selective outrage.
The lyrics contain very powerful phrases, such as “The hand that caresses is the same that delivers the blow” and “The true self doesn’t exist.” What were you most interested in exploring regarding contradiction, frustration, and human authenticity in this track?
It was interesting to send a big fuck you to the bourgeoisie that currently dominates the Brazilian rock scene.
Musically, you define the song as raw rock, unafraid to show anger. What does this sonic rawness allow you to communicate that a more polished approach wouldn’t be able to?
It allows you to say “fuck you” without makeup. The raw, unfiltered truth from the streets of São Paulo, right in the faces of the hypocrites.
The song comes from a composition from the “Animal Nacional” era, but it’s being brought to life now. What made you realize that this track still had something very urgent to say at this moment?
That same desire to say “Fuck the Bourgeoisie” is what has become the current rock scene in Brazil.
In a scene where rock often seems more niche or contained, you talk about “letting loose” and showing that São Paulo’s rock scene is still alive and kicking. What do you feel rock still needs to shout today?
Everything has always been a matter of power, or an idea of a power hierarchy that we perceive within our political-ideological perspective and our social environment. All our choices stem from there. All our selective indignation stems from there. What we show or hide on social media is based on this filter.
Rock music today needs to stop trying to be nice and break free from the chains of political correctness and leftist policing, and distance itself from conservatism and any right-wing ideology.
Rock needs to go back to being a space of freedom and a big FUCK YOU.
Despite the heaviness and fury of the music, there’s also a very lively humor in the way you talk about the music video and the creative process. Is this mix of tension and irony also an important characteristic of the band?
Absolutely. We like having the freedom to criticize whomever we want. We don’t condone the back-patting or forced smiles that dominate the current rock scene, which doesn’t make fun of anything or anyone.
If “Polaroid” functions as a sort of declaration of principles, what would you most like the audience to feel when hearing the track for the first time: identification, discomfort, catharsis, or the urge to scream along?
We hope the world will be a better place, and that no one will tell us that’s the good side of the story. Deep down, our society has transformed into a world of cowardly individualists hiding behind the ideal of social justice, but everyone is just looking out for their own advantage. So shout the truth with us without fear: And have SEX. Have lots of SEX while singing our songs, make money, make lots of money and spend it all on us. Accumulate followers, lots of followers, and bring them to us.
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