Hailing from Bogota, Colombia and based in Brooklyn, New York, Juliana Ronderos and Nicolás Losada have spent the last decade as Salt Cathedral steadily developing a sound that draws from the cultures of both. True music fans with an art for art’s sake mentality, it’s a genuine desire to bring the joyful rhythms they grew up with to the more indie and alternative sphere that increasingly fuels the pair’s work and, heading into second LP ‘Before It’s Gone’, Salt Cathedral are embracing this duality now more than ever.

“In New York, there’s always been this thing of indie kids moving to those beats; in the ‘00s, there were people like Animal Collective which meant that the indie crowd were into African rhythms in a really cool way,” begins Nico. “So in a similar way, because it’s coming from [more alternative] people like Juli and me, it changes the perception of what Latin music could be.”

Incredibly, despite growing up only a few blocks away from each other and attending the same Colombian college, it was only when the pair separately moved to Boston, Massachusetts to study jazz composition at the prestigious Berklee School of Music that they first crossed paths. 2,500 miles from home, and both dressed as Puss in Boots at a Halloween party, they found comfort in the familiarities and life experiences that linked them; after a short-lived early project, in 2013 Salt Cathedral was born.

Trace a line back through their releases so far – from a debut self-titled EP that nodded to their early math-rock influences, to more introspective 2014 follow-up ‘Oom Velt’, through 2020 debut LP ‘CARISMA’ and its larger embrace of their Latin heritage, and now ‘Before It’s Gone’ – and you’ll see a pair of musicians constantly shifting, soaking in new experiences and translating them into a canon of work that brims with excitement and curiosity. It’s not born from anything nearly as cynical as following trends; instead, they recall the penny-drop moments of simply discovering things for the first time. The moment they first heard Flying Lotus and learnt about the possibilities of Ableton. The moment they first attempted a dancehall beat and saw the bodily energy of the crowd shift upwards.

“We’ve explored so many different genres and sounds, which is a curse and a blessing. We were making ambient jazz and then we put out ‘CARISMA’, which has indie reggaeton and Latino rhythms, and then the new record is fairly different too – maybe you lose some people, but either they’re along for the ride or they’re not,” says Juliana. She also highlights one of the most beautiful things about their constant fusing of influences: “A lot of fans who’d come to our shows were first or second generation Latinos, and I remember receiving a lot of messages from people saying they loved ‘CARISMA’ because it meant they didn’t have to give up either their American upbringing or Latino heritage. They can co-exist.”

That debut came out in May 2020: perhaps the worst time possible to have embraced a sound based in dancing and communal joy. But instead of sitting around feeling sorry for themselves, Salt Cathedral decided to put everything into a new record that left nothing behind. “It comes from a very liberated mindset, not thinking about Spotify algorithms or a label telling us to write a particular type of song,” says Juliana of their reinvigorated attitude. “It’s just me and Nico making something that we love.”

Living together in the same flat, the two musicians had limitless time over that period to simply wake up, think, talk and create. They spoke about humanity and connection – how they wanted “to record a collective experience”. They spoke about the importance, as artists, of writing about the real shit going on, of provoking conversations and putting something of integrity into the world. And, most importantly, they had fun. “We did the album because it really saved us in so many ways,” says Nico. “It’s a hopeful record because we were thinking of when a time like now could happen, when we could then go out and play it.”

And so, ‘Before It’s Gone’ arrives as a strangely joyful record about a world that, in many ways, seems intent on destroying itself. From the woozy warped opening statement of its title track (“Why are you afraid? You’ve got to live before it’s gone”), there’s a hope and a defiance here that’s integral. “When I listen to a record, it gives me a bit of energy to care more. Sometimes, music is just a gift from someone to give you a bit of a boost,” says Nico. “When I hear the album, that’s what I feel, and I hope people get a little bit of that boost too. To get a sense of solidarity or do a little bit of good, even a little bit.”

Recent single ‘Strong Emotions’ lands on the more tongue-in-cheek end of their spectrum, as Juliana deadpans about her repetitive lockdown routine over a Brazilian baile funk rhythm that provokes the physical reaction that she speaks of seeking (“I just want to feel strong emotions/ I don’t want to be bored anymore”). Future single ‘Off The Walls’, meanwhile, is a sweet song rooted in the pair’s decade-long friendship. “It’s the poppiest song on the record. We’re two Leos and we’ve had a lot of blow ups, but we love each other so much,” smiles the vocalist. “That song is a thank you note to each other for being patient, saying we never knew that 10 years later we’d have such a harmonious, creative relationship.”

Elsewhere, however, Salt Cathedral cast their sights outwards. ‘Terminal Woes’ finds Juliana considering the impact of what it would mean to bring a child into such a broken world; ‘Empty Machine’ builds from soft beginnings of self doubt (“I don’t wanna be a robot/ It’s a superficial era”) into a burst of steel drum joy, while dreamy closer ‘Protect Her’ casts the earth itself as its protagonist: “Would you fear expiration? Would it shake your foundation?” Throughout the record, direct and rallying lyrics are married with insatiable rhythms that bring the listener in.

It’s a combination that Salt Cathedral hopes will make people dance and think in equal measure. “We want to make interesting music with a strong message but also the most passion that we can give,” concludes Nico. “Music is about lighting up your soul.