Some records feel like they were unearthed rather than written. Kristen Castro’s debut album, ‘Capricorn Baby,’ is one of them.
There is no need to shout in this quiet revolt, which is an emotional declaration of freedom. She’s built her own room, soundproofed it with introspection, and invited us in for a listen.
The album, is a product of five years of Castro’s life. Five years of change, of questioning, of becoming. And you can feel it in the music.
This isn’t a collection of songs about abstract concepts. It’s a series of sonic diary entries, each one a snapshot of a moment in time. From the sun-drenched nostalgia of ‘Malibu’ to the quiet hope of ‘Hope Is The Thing With Feathers,’ Castro takes us on a tour of her inner world.
What’s most impressive about ‘Capricorn Baby’ is that Castro did it all herself. She wrote the words, composed the music, produced and mixed every track.
This is not just a project for fun. It shows how smart and creative she is. In a business that still has trouble with representation, the fact that a Latinx queer artist from Nashville is making her own record is an important achievement. It’s a quiet revolution, a changing of the guard that’s happening one note at a time.
The sound of the album is a reflection of Castro’s own story. It’s a mix of her Southern California roots, her Nashville present, and her Latinx heritage.
There are hints of folk, of pop, of ambient music. But it never feels disjointed. It’s all held together by Castro’s singular voice and her distinctive production style.
The result is a collection of songs that are both intimate and expansive, personal and universal.
Take a track like ‘Summer Rain.’ It’s a song about leaving a place to find yourself, about the bittersweet ache of nostalgia. The lyrics are simple, but they cut deep. “I was lost for years in the backyard pool in Cali,” she sings, and you can feel the weight of those words.
It’s a song that could have easily been overwrought, but Castro’s production gives it a sense of space, of air. It’s a song that breathes.
Then there’s ‘Amor & Psyche (Stripped),’ a song that feels like a whispered secret. It’s a modern retelling of a classic myth, a story of love and loss and the search for connection.
The stripped-down arrangement puts the focus on Castro’s voice, and she delivers a performance that is both vulnerable and strong. It’s a song that gets under your skin and stays there.
The album closes with the title track, ‘Capricorn Baby,’ a collaboration with Deb Talan of The Weepies. It’s a fitting end to the record, a song that looks back at the past with a sense of acceptance and looks forward to the future with a sense of hope.
It’s a song about embracing who you are, flaws and all. And in a world that’s constantly telling us to be someone else, that’s a message that we all need to hear.
‘Capricorn Baby’ is a remarkable debut. It’s an album that is both personal and universal, intimate and expansive. It’s a record that announces the arrival of a major new talent.
Kristen Castro has created something special here. Something that will stay with you long after the last note has faded.
