COLLEEN

Colleen, the project of Cécile Schott, has long been defined by a commitment to restricted instrumentation and close, deliberate composition. Each album builds a world from a single set of tools, and Libres antes del final continues that approach with music shaped entirely on the Moog Matriarch.

The record is guided by a personal transformation: Schott’s decision to overcome a lifelong fear of open water by relearning to swim in the sea. The fragile progress of that journey – tentative first steps, unexpected momentum, the confrontation of physical and mental limits – provides the emotional foundation for the music.

Libres antes del final is structured around a pulsing, restless energy. Schott reamped the recordings in Barcelona’s Casa Montjuic, using carefully placed microphones to emphasise movement and physicality. Subtle shifts in tone and rhythm create pieces that feel constantly in motion, from the gentle drift of “Mis armas se habían caído al suelo” to the swells of the title track.