Inhospitable -: not showing hospitality: not friendly or receptive
We have all travelled through the Inhospitable, the unknown, that fragile feeling where we are raw, lost or unsupported.
We are afraid. Afraid of what is in front of us, beside us, what we will face. The unknown is a common trait that brings a little buzz to our stomachs.
But we face it. We look it in the face. We deal with our problems and we are relieved: we have successfully overcome another barrier: what was once fear, is now an experience, a moment. We become wise because we know that the path we have taken was complicated, and difficult, but we deal with it.
From Lisbon to the world, we present the Inóspita project. And it is on this path of bravery that we set off to discover.
PORTO SANTO
Inóspita is Inês Matos, and Inês Matos is Inóspita: a project launched in February 2022, with the intention of disclosing in a raw and naked way all the artistic potential of Inóspita. Inês has been playing guitar since an early age, and a music teacher since she was 16. She studied in the Luiz Villas-Boas jazz school of Hot Clube de Portugal. From an early age, she has played with several Portuguese music bands, including Primeira Dama, Chinaskee and João Borsch.
And it’s with her fingers that Inês tells a story: there’s no need for frills, fireworks or many fancy words. The guitar is her voice – and with her rhythms, we feel safe, and attentive, trying to unveil all the mysteries of her music.
Because the pure sonority enchanted us from the very first moment, we asked Inês to help us on this journey. From Lisbon to Madeira it is about an hour and a half by plane, and it is to Porto Santo that the breeze of the guitars takes us. Stay with her.
Her first album, “Porto Santo“, is composed of 7 songs. Inês tells us that this journey should be done in order – and we couldn’t agree more.
Cubanos
We begin this adventure with Cubanos: a slow burn that starts with small, low riffs as if it were an embarrassed hello. But suddenly it grows, growing as if it were a liberation composition. It’s not just a riff: it’s the beautiful beginning of a story.
[Inóspita] Pete Townshend once said that the power of music is writing a song for a reason and then realizing it’s actually about something else. With that in mind, here’s what my songs remind me of in the present day.
“Cubanos“, the opening theme, is named after what the people from Madeira Island call the continental Portuguese and is a story around the open triads technique on the guitar. It was probably the most challenging song to write, melody-wise.
It reminds me of the guitar classes I had with André Santos. They were really fun and the open triads techniques were fascinating!
Março
“Março”, or March in English. The third month of the year is actually the second song on the album. More than a song, it is a ballad. Each excerpt feels like a word, even without saying one. It’s beautiful to close your eyes, take in a breeze of air on your face and surf along to the guitar power of Inhospitable.
[Inóspita] Março (March) was the month in which the album was recorded and also the month of my birthday. It is a simple ballad that reminds me of a lullaby that you might hum to a toddler. It reminds me of the simple days of the pandemic. Just chilling.
Taberna
We hit the road for “Taberna” – and it is with the rhythm of the folk guitar that we focus on all the points of our journey, life – and all that we are going to do on earth. We feel ourselves in reflection, thinking about our past, present and future. What we did well, what we did less well, and what we have to improve.
[Inóspita] Taberna is based on the folk guitar that I grew up listening to. When I was growing up, I used to listen to my stepdad play this folk guitar every time I got home from school. Taberna reminds me of those moments of childhood.
Diego
We move on to “Diego“, and it’s with sound loops that we feel trapped in a web of feelings. Almost like a never-ending story, it seems that we can’t let go of the ties of that deep feeling that it hurts so much to forget.
[Inóspita] Diego is the only song with loops and it’s based on my first experience with solo gigs where I used to play all songs with the loop station. The first time I played a solo gig was in 2018 and all the songs I played were loop based and I was able to improvise over them. Diego is the only song that is able to transport me to those first experiences.
Berequias
“Berequias“, or the art of injustice. The path is painful, of sadness and bitterness. There is nothing we can do to change this cruel fate of ours. And the guitar of Inóspita expresses this very badly: between the Wild West and a storm, this dark story is defined with some riffs that bring almost a certain loneliness to our ears.
[Inóspita] Berequias is influenced by Richard Zimler’s book “The Last Kabbalist of Lisbon” where the jews are mistreated by the Portuguese inquisition and it portraits someone that is facing a death penalty for a crime they didn’t commit. Berequias reminds of this day that I spent doing a puzzle and listening to bar mitzvah songs (at least according to spotify)
Porto Santo
Almost at the end and completely turning the page, we’ve arrived in paradise, on a beach as far as the eye can see, with sun, heat and happiness all in the mix: we’re in “Porto Santo“, and the beginning makes Albert Hammond Jr, from The Strokes, blush. With an immense melancholy of relaxation, we are happy, with ourselves and our friends. This pure happiness is shared with the world, and we’ll never want to hide it again.
[Inóspita] Porto Santo is a 2 parts theme. The first one based on triads on the high strings of the guitar. The second is a very long rest over basic harmony like someone resting on a beautiful but cloudy beach, like the one in the island of Porto Santo. Porto Santo was the only song I wrote after I knew I was going to be able to record these songs I had been working on. It reminds me of the pandemic days I spent working on them with Manel Lourenço (primeira dama), the producer of this album
Profeta
With a golden key and a voice accompanying the guitar and the sea, we have “Profeta“. Between lightning, coruscations and wisdom, we hear the legend of Ana Ferreira, the bastard daughter of Dom João II, who was sent to Porto Santo, the King having assigned this island because it was where cattle grazed. We couldn’t stop listening, with new information being gathered with each new listen.
[Inóspita] Profeta, the closing track, tells the story of the Porto Santo’s legend of Ana Ferreira with a poem that I wrote based on the little information we have about her. Her name is immortalized by the beautiful peak named after her. It reminds me of the days we spent in the Porto Santo Island discovering beautiful places, reading about the myths of the island and getting the samples that you can hear on this track.
We didn’t want to stop this journey, so we spoke a bit more with Inóspita. Stay with her:
Why the name Inóspita and how did it all begin?
[Inóspita] Inóspita (Portuguese for inhospitable) comes from a nickname a friend of mine came up with while making a play on words with my name Inês during our teenage years. The project started in 2018 but was put aside until I had time, during the pandemic, to write new songs, the ones in Porto Santo.
Where and when do the Inóspita project and Inês Matos meet?
Since my teenage years that I relate the nickname Inospita to the lonely, dark side of my soul. I guess we all have that side inside of us.
Porto Santo, your debut LP, was released in 2022 and remastered in 2023. What was your biggest inspiration for the album?
I had wished to do an album ever since I started this project in 2018 Some albums that influenced me were Jorge Palma’s “Só” (just piano and vocals), André Matos’ solo guitar albums “múquina” and “nome de guerra”, André Santos’ “vitamina D” (guitar trio) amongst others.
What is the song you most enjoyed composing?
That’s a difficult question as all of them made me face a different challenge that I really enjoyed. Diego was very fun to write because I just spent some days in the studio improvising and exploring where the solo could go.
For those who would like to see you live, are there any upcoming shows?
Yes, and I will announce them soon.
If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be and why?
There are many people that I’d like to play with. One of them would have to be Filho da Mãe. I love the atmosphere he creates with the guitar and he’s a super guitar player.
It’s 2033. Where would you like to see the Inóspita project?
I’d like to see the project grow and be able to play with more people and keep on being able to do solo gigs.
What are your biggest inspirations?
My biggest inspiration of all time is Bruce Springsteen. He made me realize the power of music not through complexity but by being true to himself and the people around him. The honesty I hear in his music is my biggest drive to always be true to myself.
What have you been listening to?
Recently I’ve been listening to Bala Desejo’s “SIM SIM SIM”, some Roy Orbison and rediscovering some jazz I haven’t heard in a while like Wayne Shorter, Chris Cheek, Chet Baker and some others.
How would you describe your project in one word?
Challenging
“Porto Santo” is a safe and reliable destination, where we feel good, happy and attentive to all the sounds that complete us. Inês Matos is Inóspita – and contrary to what the word defines her in the dictionary, she is a multifaceted artist, very receptive and sympathetic, with a friendly touch that is so well evident in her record. We feel we have taken this journey with her, and all the noises, experiences, laughter, sadness or bitterness have been and will always be shared immaculately on this, her first work. A WtMM recommendation.
More on Inóspita:
Instagram – Bandcamp – Youtube – Spotify
Listen to the full album: