Curio Curio - Curio Curio

Curio Curio – Curio Curio is the debut album from a Brazilian-European collaboration with a vivid sense of movement, place and possibility. Rio-born, Austria-based singer and actress Luiza Monteiro met German producer Dustin Braun when both artists had reached a turning point in their creative lives. Their chance encounter developed into a warm, exploratory project that draws on Brazilian MPB, psychedelic disco, samba and studio experimentation while sounding firmly rooted in the present.

The pair describe a musical world that is neither strictly disco nor samba, neither an exercise in nostalgia nor a break with tradition. That openness gives the album its character. Influences including Gal Costa and Jorge Ben Jor sit alongside the contemporary spirit of Say She She and Bala Desejo, but Curio Curio follow their own route. The songs celebrate freedom, love, friendship and physical movement while leaving room for quieter questions about identity, distance and belonging.

Monteiro’s lyrics reflect the experience of living between countries and cultures, treating home as something plural rather than fixed. “Amor Doente” and “Mar sem Dar Pe” explore relationships that refuse easy answers, while “Menina Passarinho” turns the uncertainty of committing to music into something intimate and hopeful. “Raiz” embraces constant change, and the closing “A Cor do Meu Sonho” offers a calm statement of resilience without pretending that the search for belonging has been resolved.

Braun’s production mirrors that emotional movement. Early ideas were allowed to develop without rigid reference points before Brazilian rhythmic and vocal elements entered the arrangements. Analogue equipment, tape, ribbon microphones and live ensemble recording give the record a tactile, human feel. “Bem Querer” channels the rush of a samba street performance into a remarkably catchy chorus, while “Vem pra Casa” leans into cosmic Brazilian boogie. The short “Vida que Entorna (Interludio)” creates a natural pause within the album’s eleven-track journey.

Available as one Shopify product with a standard black-vinyl edition and an indie-only neon orange colour variant, Curio Curio is an inviting debut for listeners of modern Brazilian music, MPB, disco and globally minded pop. It feels searching yet assured, respectful of heritage without turning it into a museum piece. This is a pre-order for release on 24 July 2026 through Mr Bongo.