Biography
The idiosyncratic, keyboard-driven psychedelic pop crafted by indie singer/songwriter Robert Sotelo nods toward the melodic sensibilities of Ray Davies and Paul McCartney even as it sustains a working-class, social-media-engaged perspective. By layering his own instrumental performances, he issued his first full-length, Cusp, in 2017; the playful, homespun tone of that release also characterized the later collaborative albums Infinite Sprawling (2019) and the marriage-informed Celebrant (2021).
Peterborough, Cambridgeshire-born and -raised U.K. musician Andrew Doig started tracking his ’60s-inspired material under the Robert Sotelo moniker—his middle name paired with his mother’s maiden name—once he reached his mid-thirties, using the project to reconnect with figures from earlier in his life. Teaming with bassist Gemma Fleet and drummer/guitarist John Wilson as the Robert Sotelo Group, he released the EP Keepers in 2016.
The following year brought a denser solo album tracked and mixed by John Hannon (James Blackshaw, the Plan) and issued by Upset the Rhythm under the title Cusp. Nicely Music then put out the 2018 follow-up Botanical, again produced with Hannon. After moving to Glasgow, Sotelo went back to Upset the Rhythm for 2019’s Infinite Sprawling, which he recorded at the home studio of Ruari MacLean (Vital Idles, Golden Grrrls) and Edwin Stevens (Irma Vep, Yerba Mansa). The solo album Leap & Bounce, already “recorded in a cupboard,” appeared on Cusp Records in April 2021. His fifth outing, the more expansive Celebrant, arrived on Upset the Rhythm that November and incorporated guest contributions on brass, woodwinds, and drums while blending the delight of wedlock with the unease of a global pandemic.
Peterborough, Cambridgeshire-born and -raised U.K. musician Andrew Doig started tracking his ’60s-inspired material under the Robert Sotelo moniker—his middle name paired with his mother’s maiden name—once he reached his mid-thirties, using the project to reconnect with figures from earlier in his life. Teaming with bassist Gemma Fleet and drummer/guitarist John Wilson as the Robert Sotelo Group, he released the EP Keepers in 2016.
The following year brought a denser solo album tracked and mixed by John Hannon (James Blackshaw, the Plan) and issued by Upset the Rhythm under the title Cusp. Nicely Music then put out the 2018 follow-up Botanical, again produced with Hannon. After moving to Glasgow, Sotelo went back to Upset the Rhythm for 2019’s Infinite Sprawling, which he recorded at the home studio of Ruari MacLean (Vital Idles, Golden Grrrls) and Edwin Stevens (Irma Vep, Yerba Mansa). The solo album Leap & Bounce, already “recorded in a cupboard,” appeared on Cusp Records in April 2021. His fifth outing, the more expansive Celebrant, arrived on Upset the Rhythm that November and incorporated guest contributions on brass, woodwinds, and drums while blending the delight of wedlock with the unease of a global pandemic.
Albums
Celebrant
2021
Dear Resident / Operate Now
2020
Infinite Sprawling
2019
Botanical
2018
Observatory Gardens
2018
Cusp
2017
Singles
