Tarta Relena

Folk music fans know that entire worlds can be created with just two voices. Tarta Relena, the Catalan duo of Helena Ros and Marta Torrella (the band’s name is a nice bit of word play), knew that their voices could act as twin flames when they joined forces as an a cappella group. Their inspiration and much of their source material comes from Mediterranean oral traditions and storytelling through song, but sounds unmistakably modern, even when they don’t add in electronic instrumentation and subtle beats.

Despite looking like they stepped out of a Wes Anderson movie, Ros and Torella have the voices of fallen angels, sounding like they could and should be singing in ancient cathedrals — they’ve gone so far as to humorously, but very accurately describe their sound as “progressive Gregorian.” But, like much (very) old-timey religious music, there’s a deliciously unnerving darkness at play. Not understanding the language they’re singing in makes the effect even more mesmerizing as their voices envelop and almost numb the listener. It’s a luminous and profound experience bound to leave audiences feeling dazed and like they’ve unexpectedly seen the light.