Rey Pila’s Top Five Horror Movie Must-Sees Plus Listen to New Tune “What a Nice Surprise”

I always judge a song based on the response my hips have to the music. OK, that’s not strictly true. For instance, I can appreciate the poignancy of “Don’t Panic” by Coldplay and my hips remain resolutely unmoved during all two minutes and 18 seconds of it. But Rey Pila understand the importance of hip seduction. Press play on “What a Nice Surprise”—premiering below—and you’ll get the gist. It’s in the union of sparkly synths and the guitars that flick between palm-muted chugs and Cars-like hooks, plus singer Diego Solórzano’s voice. It’s a vocal that’s sonic equivalent of your lover lying in rumpled, morning-after sheets, pleading for you to come back to bed—even though all you’re trying to do is get up to make some coffee.

Anyway, the Mexico City-based band, who have been touring with The Rentals recently, released their eponymous debut LP back in 2010, and now, at last, we can confirm that their second record, The Future Sugar, will come out on 7.17, via Julian Casablancas’s indie label Cult Records. Hallelujah and what a nice surprise indeed!

Listen to “What a Nice Surprise” below and, as a bonus, we got Diego, who loves scary movies as much as we do, to compile his top five freaky flicks. That’s plans for this weekend sorted then.

Rey Pila’s Top Five Horror Movie Must-Sees

LOST HIGHWAY

Diego: When I saw this movie for the first time I was still in high school, a good friend of mine and I went to a movie theater that only showed foreign films and movies that were hard to find in regular theaters. We sneaked into the theater to see the movie. He had no clue what was it about, who directed it, or who was in it. I remember that my hands where sweating trough out the whole movie. Lynch has a great talent for making the audience uncomfortable: you always feel that something very bad is about to happen. After we left the theater I remember feeling excited and also thinking that something had changed. Lost Highway is unique and amazing in so many ways. Mainly because it’s a very original and true horror movie. The film’s aesthetic is very dark, but at the same time cool and elegant, very much like David Lynch’s photographs. It also has one of the most badass soundtracks ever made.

SUSPIRIA

A lot of the ideas for the music videos for Rey Pila are inspired in Dario Argento’s movies. This film in particular has a very special vibe to it. The photography and locations are crazy. You can almost call it an “psychedelic horror” film. It has a very special vibe. You can find it cheesy sometimes, but that’s the whole point. The resources that Argento uses are very simple but not easy. He wrote the book on how to make a great horror movie using a couple of lights, one camera, and fake blood.

THE SHINING

Probably the holy grail of horror movies! Stanley Kubrick is one of my favorite artists. For me The Shining is one of the highest moments in his career (though he said it was his worst film). It scares me the most, the feeling of isolation is terrible. I once read that Kubrick said horror movies let the audience experience the darkest and most obscure feelings and emotions from a very comfortable place and in a way, The Shining is the perfect example of that statement. The film portrays what a big part of horror movies are about the continuity of life after death. A fucking masterpiece!

Rey Pila Tour Dates

07/12 – Chicago, IL @ RUIDO Fest

07/14 – Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern

07/16 – New York, NY @ Pianos

07/17 – Brooklyn, NY @ Baby’s All Right

07/18 – Montauk, NY @ Surf Lodge w/ Lolawolf



Pre-order Rey Pila’s The Future Sugar out on Cult Records on here.

Nevermind the weekend, Kim Taylor Bennett will be watching Susperia tonight. She’s on Twitter.