On his forthcoming album “Peace With a Lion,” Guatemalan-born singer-songwriter David Lindes looks deep into the meaning of healing. In doing so, he explores two essential phases: honoring wounds, and healing them through creation.
With hints of Cat Stevens in his vocals and echoes of the Latin American neo-folk Trova movement of the ‘60s and ‘70s, Lindes collects folk elements from across the continent in this deeply personal album. In it, he delves into his efforts to heal three wounds: leaving his native Guatemala as a child, being abandoned by his father as a baby, and experiencing physical and emotional abuse. As he moves into his recovery from these wounds, he approaches themes like mental health, the healing power of nature, and forgiveness, all while singing his love and heartbreak to his homeland as if it were a long-lost love. His journey from wound to healing is intimate as well as universal, speaking to the many neglected collective wounds society carries, and the need for healing there as well.
The first two singles off the album, Te Vengo a Perdonar (I’ve Come to Forgive You) & Gold in the Ashes, deal with facing childhood trauma and finding a way to accept it and transform it into wisdom, compassion, and even beauty.
Te vengo a perdonar uses Caribbean elements to assemble a sort of post-storm celebration. The lyrics put a forceful end to a self-imposed sentence of pain that only ends with forgiveness.
Gold in the Ashes, poignant and introspective, looks to the Blues and Americana for its palette, to take listeners from pain to hope. In its chorus, Lindes celebrates finding gold in the ashes of his past.
The songs will be released alongside an official video for Te vengo a perdonar (I’ve Come to Forgive You), featuring Lindes himself, who acts out, step by step, his own death and burial.
"Maybe that’s why I’m here,' contemplates Lindes. ‘If I can take my past, exactly as it is, and turn it into a story and a song, maybe that will bring me a little closer to not wanting a different past. And if I like the story, and I like the song, someday, I might even embrace my past," he states hopefully.
Grammy® Winner Alex Cuba describes his role in producing the album as “a huge responsibility to shine a light on David’s beautiful voice and message, especially in a time like today, when so many are looking for ways to heal their spirits.”
Lindes will kickoff the album launch with a concert in Mexico City on Feb 8, 2025, at Casa Florecer, a spiritual center in the woods surrounding the city. He describes the show as “an intimate affair that will be part concert and part healing circle. It’ll include songs, stories from my life, and even a ceremonial element.” He’ll also encourage concert goers to talk about their own pain and recovery. An official album launch event will follow in Los Angeles in the Spring of 2025.
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