Failing Exploration release “Supernovae”

Failing Exploration is a duet consisting of Jose del Carmen on bass and vocals, and Marks Valdez on lead guitar. This dynamic power couple first connected in 2016, whilst working as colleagues in a call centre in Xela, Guatemala, where they both grew up. After more than a year of trying to put together a band line-up, the duo moved to Guatemala City in 2018 for employment, and Jose started writing and recording music in his bedroom under the name Failing Exploration the following year.

After recovering from a severe case of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Jose started writing songs with punk rock and alternative rock riffs engulfed in ethereal and atmospheric textures that would later become the band’s signature sound. These songs were inspired by the likes of Slowdive, The Smashing Pumpkins, Sigur Rós, My Chemical Romance, and No Devolución-era Thursday.

Jose would once again enlist Marks and, together with his long-term musical counterpart, would finish the album The Broken Fingers Blues, which was inspired by Jose’s battle with his aforementioned Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, as well as the uncertainty and hopelessness caused by the spreading pandemic.

In 2022, and in order to properly promote the album, the duo decided it best to release a carefully selected ten tracks, which would then be released one at a time. The first of these songs, “Internal Bleeding,” was released on March 25.

The music of “Supernovae” was influenced by a multitude of prominent Shoegaze bands, especially Slowdive and Deafheaven. It is a dream pop and post-rock song that combines a mesmerising ambiance, a beat that is reminiscent of the Waltz, lyrics that are influenced by emo music, and a vocal performance that combines shouting, whispering, and intensely emotional singing.