Felt Hat Reviews (BLOG)

La Manzana Mágica is probably the first full length album by Argentinian artist Federico Durand I have listened since his 2024 album Té de flores silvestres.

Federico has been working with subtle electronics and field recorded sources for quite a while now and it is only fair to say that he has an easily recognizable style of harmonics and tonalities which greatly fits into the idiom of 12k label that has published this new album that is coming out today – 22nd of May 2026.

A sought-after collectors postage stamp collection Cinderellas which is in Federico’s personal collection is an inspiration for this album.

A folk heroine, a spoken, oral tradition that this character was shaped by – all this and more is a thing of a past that moves back in our modern, digitalised times.

How an artefact can influence some compositions is evident even just by looking at the compositions. They convey ethereal, haunting quality of something as disposable and fragile such as a stamp collection.

Synth sounds, field recordings, tape manipulations as well as Federico’s daughter voice bring us to the point of no return – you have to stop and focus here, unless you want to miss what’s important. The aspect of the scale is important – postage stamps are small works of art – there is so much you can learn even from this size of an art artefact. And definitely puts you in a situation to make an effort.

It’s a soulful piece of music. An album that manoeuvres between fragile movements and tonalities. An ambience that feels familiar and yet distant. Obvious, yet dream-like. But it is done with such a passion and skill, that you can’t miss it.