ALBUM REVIEW: MOMO – Tum Tum Tum

London-based Brazilian multi-instrumentalist MOMO returns with Tum Tum Tum, an eight-track collection recorded live in South London.

Twenty years and eight albums into his career, the record reflects an artist still in motion, refining his musical language with patience, craft and quiet resilience. Rather than chasing immediacy, Tum Tum Tum feels like the work of musicians allowing songs to reveal themselves naturally.

The rhythm section from 2022’s Gira returns here, but while the album is built around strong grooves, its energy is more restrained and spacious. The percussion is rich and fluid, giving the songs a graceful sense of movement rather than pushing them forward too forcefully.

Much of the album’s warmth comes from the interplay between the musicians. Regis Damasceno’s bass and Caetano Malta’s guitar help shape the record’s supple foundation, while UK jazz trombonist Rosie Turton adds shaded brass tones that drift beautifully through the arrangements.

As MOMO explains: “It’s about playing together until the sound reveals itself — giving the music time to settle and breathe.”

One of the album’s clearest entry points is “Vermelho e Rosa,” a highlight thanks to its gliding, dreamlike flow and soft, smooth vocals. The melody feels warm and quixotic, with distant sweeps of brass adding colour without overwhelming the song’s natural ease.

“Morena,” co-written with Marcos Valle and Marcelo Camelo, draws on bolero, with Valle’s electric piano becoming an integral part of the arrangement rather than simply sitting above it. The song’s syncopation remains measured throughout, while its low-slung, satiny motion gives it an alluring, sensual sway.

A little darker in tone, “Dente d’Ouro” offers a tilting, gently bouncing rhythm, lifted by luminous instrumental colours and brass textures.

“Canto de Aldeia,” co-written with Nina Miranda of Smoke City, leans into a kind of tropical dream-pop. The melody floats gently, while the almost whispered vocals carry a sighing tenderness.

MOMO describes the song as evoking “a bright, utopian childhood, playful, communal and grounded in nature, expressed through imagery of sun, sand and breeze.”

Across Tum Tum Tum, MOMO blends elements of música popular brasileira, Tropicália, Afrobeat, folk rock, psychedelia and jazz into a sound that feels unhurried, colourful and quietly immersive. Like a musical kaleidoscope, the album reveals its beauty gradually, rewarding close listening with warmth, texture and understated charm.