“Ideograma” is the debut album by Parque da São, an indie pop band inspired by the work of Thai filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul. The songs on this record are born from the acoustic guitar of Arthur Bittencourt (ente, Ovo ou Bicho) and take shape through the production of Julio Santa Cecília (Dindinha, DJ Guaraná Jesus, teamr2r).

Both songwriters have been gaining recognition in Brazilian outlets such as Música Instantânea, Tenho Mais Discos Que Amigos, Aquele Tuim, Hits Perdidos, and Pop Fantasma, as well as in the international music press, including The Wire, Aquarium Drunkard, PopMatters, and Sounds and Colours — even catching the attention of the editor behind Tiny Desk.

Carefully crafted over three years, this first release will be promoted through a series of singles and music videos scheduled for release later this year, all inspired by the aesthetics of the Thai director. The project is yet another bold venture from the influential São Paulo-based independent label Seloki Records.

Drawing from Apichatpong’s imagery and soundscapes, the group channels its sensitivity into a carefully curated work that also reflects their hometown of Rio de Janeiro, creating bridges between their local context and the universe of contemporary indie music. Their references range from the indie folk intimacy of Alex G, to the atmospheric sound design of Oneohtrix Point Never, the pop-tinged psychedelic experiments of Negro Leo, and the hysterical sweetness of Animal Collective — all of which, in the duo’s view, exist within the same semantic landscape as the filmmaker’s work.

The result of this process is an album that oscillates between reality and dream, in a visceral search for raw emotion that emerges in the songs and dissolves into noise. Structurally, the record’s narrative was designed to flow like the inward dive of transcendental meditation: it begins with an agitated track and gradually softens, reaching a state of calm before awakening once again.

Beyond Bittencourt and Santa Cecília, the band enlisted the talents of emerging musicians from the Brazilian scene, such as Arthur Martau (Ant-Art, Simone Mazzer) on drums and producer/multi-instrumentalist Paulo Emmery (Jards Macalé, Antonio Neves, Tonton, Letrux) on bass, as well as the delicate arrangement by Ilan Becker (grãomestre) on the album’s closing track.

The visual identity of this debut release was created by Rio-based artist João Fujioka, who collaborated closely with the band while living in Japan. Fujioka is responsible for all the single artworks and the album cover.