Ariel Maniki and the Black Halos return in ‘Pieces’
Two years on from their most recent studio album, Fractals (March 2023), beloved Costa Rican goth trio Ariel Maniki and the Black Halos return with the brand-new single, ‘Pieces’.
Bandleader Ariel Maniki says:
“…‘Pieces’ is a cry for help in a moment of need. Need for a home, for a place of warmth and safety. For connection. For a different perspective to see the world we live in. And all of that is what music represents to me. We could say that the lyrics are dedicated to music itself.”
Since the release of Fractals (2023), the bandmembers have been kept busy with other projects, including Proyecto Escapulario, The Waning Moon, and Red Apple Cvlt. After a short break, Ariel Maniki, Janice Black and Eva Red reconvened to start writing new Black Halos material, expecting things to naturally fallback into place – but they didn’t, as Maniki explains:
“Days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and nothing would occur to me that would fit our band. Musically, my head was elsewhere. It was clear that we had to do something different and be very intentional. Hence, we decided to rent a cabin in the mountains outside of San José, where we put together a little recording station and locked ourselves away for a weekend…”
“Before grabbing any instruments, we sat down and discussed what our new song should sound like. It should sound like us. But what does that mean? Maybe some gothic rock elements like atmospheric guitars and the deep vocals. Maybe a new-wave style drum machine that invites to dance, to an overall feeling of longing and nostalgia. The discussion went on for a while.”
“Alcohol and other assets might have helped a bit, but once we agreed on the ingredients, the music just manifested itself effortlessly. We connected on a very deep level, and in no time, we had something solid that we all liked… I wrote the lyrics overnight.”
During their weekend cabin retreat, the band also documented their creative process, which forms the basis of a forthcoming promo video. Meanwhile, the single’s brooding B-side, ‘The Veil’, was also recorded.
“On the side, we also did another song to be the antithesis of our single. We intentionally went quite the opposite way with what could be called the B-side for ‘Pieces’. But that is a different story.”
‘Pieces’ by Ariel Maniki and the Black Halos is out now, as a download from Bandcamp, and streaming from Spotify and all the usual digital music platforms. The video for ‘Pieces’ will be unveiled on 28 March, before the band celebrate the new release with a rare live show in their hometown of San José, Costa Rica, at Teatro Nico Baker on 5 April.
Find Ariel Maniki and the Black Halos on
