Let’s make love and listen to Death From Above… again! The return of CSS
One of the stand-out acts of the indie-pop wave of the mid 2000s – particularly for their infectious enthusiasm – was Cansei de Ser Sexy, or CSS, who emerged from São Paulo‘s gig circuit to take on the world with tracks such as Off The Hook, Alala and the delightfully-titled Let’s Make Love and Listen to Death From Above.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of their foundation, and to mark the occasion, they’re going back on the road, with their first tour in 11 years taking in Paris, Barcelona, Madrid, Lisbon and various UK and US locations.
“Even though we weren’t active for 20 years straight, it’s bananas to come back in 2024 to celebrate these two decades,” says Lovefoxxx, lead singer. “I DJ often, and I am approached by fans who tell me how much ‘we’ve helped them figure out themselves’, ‘showed a way out’ out of societal norms, and even ‘inspired them to be who they are’ – which melts my heart because most of these fans are delicate queer creative people.”
From the outset, CSS, which now comprises Lovefoxxx, Ana Rezende, Carolina Parra and Luiza Sá, never took themselves too seriously, and that is still the case, according to Lovefoxxx, aka Campinas-native Luísa Hanae Matsushita.
“We first got together because we wanted an excuse to live and work at the right time. We are deeply united by our sense of humour and our deep sisterhood and friendship. It’s so nice to know we touched some people and are still harvesting this love 20 years later.
“So since the cycle of life can’t be stopped and trends come back after 20 years: demand came and we are honoured to do a celebration tour. Sing the hits and non hits. Jump around, make jokes, reconnect with this energy that only CSS delivers to us and give it a go, for the naive times, for the raw and crazy, to fall in love again in the clubs, once more.”
CSS’ decision to embark on this tour was partly influenced by promoters assessing the demand for a new tour from the group. The band found this interest heartening, considering it as validation that their project was indeed worthwhile.
“The fact that we are still resonating is surprising to me,” says Lovefoxxx. “It shows that we truly touched a generation. We were never meant to be role models or inspire. We just wanted to enjoy ourselves. There’s immense power in it.
“What keeps us together as friends and probably helped convince us to reunite as a band is our humour. We laugh at the same stuff. We have our own language.”
According to the band, the forthcoming dates aren’t about promoting new music, pushing vinyl, or rehearsing new material until perfected. Instead, they’re more about having a blast and reminiscing about the old times.
While preparing for the upcoming tour, dubbed the ‘It’s Been A Number of Years Tour,’ the band members utilised Zoom and phone calls to minimise the distances between them, with all four members are now spread across the world.
As Lovefoxxx puts it, regardless of how serious the planning becomes or how stressful the prospect of a reunion may be, their sense of humour keeps things in perspective.
“It’s something that doesn’t get old. It ages nicely,” she says. “This silliness is so important to us.”
Visit www.cssmusic.club for details about the upcoming tour.
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