Photo by Vera Marmelo

I could say that Outkast’s forthcoming album has come out earlier than expected in the shape and form of #batequebate (available for free download!) by D’Alva, but it would be a surprise if both André 3000 and Big Boi would give up rapping in favour of ever so vicious choruses in Portuguese. But I can assure you that your time would be well spent listening to D’Alva’s debut album. If you have already done that and didn’t enjoy one bit of it, I definitely think you should give it another chance, perhaps some other time.

So, just like Outkast, we’re talking here of a duo, composed of Ben Monteiro and Alex D’Alva Teixeira. Their influences range from Spice Girls to XX and I guess that their origins (both born to Brazilian mothers and African fathers) might also play a part in the freshness and richness of the music they’ve been making.

Take, for instance, “Frescobol” with its hints of soul and a truly irresistible saxophone solo that always brings to my mind Bowie’s “Young Americans”.

Download D’Alva – #batequebate for free here >>

They played recently at NOS Alive (big festival in Lisbon) alongside acts such as SOHN (Alex and Ben, you guys should really listen to Kwabs), Jungle and Chet Faker and just see what some new fans had to say about their gig: