Volver

Born in Lima, Peru, Sofia Kourtesis moved to Germany at 17 with dreams of studying film, and to escape her former home’s conservative views. In a way, the Berlin-based producer approaches her music like a filmmaker, layering textures, field recordings, and emotion into lush songs that move and breathe. Her work blends the political with the personal, as on her 2023 debut *Madres*, which sampled anti-homophobia protest chants and was dedicated to her mother and the surgeon who saved her mother’s life. *Volver* is a statement of joy, defiance, and resistance, as Kourtesis celebrates the LGBT+ communities—especially trans women—who inspire her activism and art. The bittersweet mood of “Corazón,” which laments distance, brightens with “Unidos,” a vivid disco-house collaboration with Daphni (aka Caribou’s Dan Snaith) turned mantra: “You got everything you need/You never let them get you down.” Layers of percussive rhythms keep spirits high on “Ballumbrosio,” its commanding groove and warm vocals conjuring scenes of communal joy, like people dancing around a fire. Kourtesis closes the EP with the bright and sweetly tender “Sisters,” a song about embracing her community, even from an ocean away.

The Peru-born, Berlin-based producer and singer’s latest EP—dedicated to the LGBTQ+ community—comprises a kaleidoscopic set of songs marked by rhythmic tension and a sense of play.