Rodrigo y Gabriela Embrace Vocals on New Album 'OurHome'
The Mexican guitar duo releases their first vocal track 'Somos Como Tú' on their new album 'OurHome', addressing themes of migration and dignity. The song took a decade to finalize. The album reflects on home as an internal state.
The track "Somos Como Tú" originated in 2015 while Rodrigo Sánchez lived in Paris, yet the duo repeatedly shelved it, unable to find an arrangement that matched their instrumental identity. Only after revisiting it for this project did they land on a version pairing Sánchez's lead vocals with Quintero's rapid-fire delivery, backed by hand percussion and a fan choir. The album itself took shape in Tokyo, where the pair recorded at NK Sound, drawn to Japan's aesthetic traditions. Their connection to manga artist Naoki Urasawa emerged organically: after dedicating "Monster" to him during a Japanese concert, an audience member relayed the gesture, leading to a meeting where they discovered mutual admiration. Urasawa ultimately created the song's music video, a collaboration rooted in shared artistic respect rather than industry calculation.
This release could broaden Rodrigo y Gabriela's appeal beyond instrumental guitar enthusiasts, potentially introducing their music to audiences who connect more readily with lyrical content, particularly Spanish-speaking listeners. The migration themes may resonate with communities affected by displacement, offering cultural validation through mainstream entertainment. However, the shift carries risk—longtime fans drawn to their purely instrumental identity may feel alienated, and the vocal experiment's success could shape whether other instrumental acts consider similar stylistic expansions.