After more than 11 years on the road, with ten musicians on stage and a reputation for never letting anyone stand still, Samuca e a Selva release their album “Pra Gente Se Acabar” on September 23. The title is a diagnosis, an invitation, a legacy, and possibly a farewell.
The album is born from a realization the group has decided not to disguise: keeping a ten-person collective on the road has become nearly impossible. “Time moves on, new priorities of adult life emerge, and the market changes dramatically, favoring solo artists in countless ways and gradually pushing bands—especially large ensembles—into a process of extinction,” says Samuel Samuca, vocalist and founder. The band’s end has not been declared, but it is on the table.
The possibility of an ending becomes a reflection on other endings. The climate crisis, wars and genocides, pandemics, democracies in crisis, the rise of the far right, artificial intelligence, post-truth, and extreme individualism form the backdrop to what may be the group’s deepest and most mature work to date.
At the same time, “Pra Gente Se Acabar” reclaims a genuinely Brazilian expression, traditionally used to announce a party, a state of ecstasy, and total abandon. The title encapsulates the forces running through the album: ending and celebration, mourning and life, chaos and dance. “It’s about the huge mess that an ending is and the great beauty of facing it, choosing to dance and give ourselves fully to life while it still exists,” Samuca sums up.
Musically, the album reveals the evolution of 11 years on the road across 13 songs that draw on references ranging from Marku Ribas to Sade. Mental health, real estate speculation, passions, longing, anxieties, and the spirit of the times emerge in a work that comes close to functioning as a soundtrack. The group’s identity remains intact: a fusion of Brazilian popular music with Latin and jazz elements, amplified by the sound of the ten-piece ensemble and the poetry of Samuel Samuca, Allan Spirandelli, and Léo Malagrino.
The album also reaffirms the group’s partnership with producer Marcos Maurício, who had previously collaborated with the band on Madurar (2016), nominated for the 28th Brazilian Music Award, and Ditados Populares Dançantes (2022), which was included among APCA’s Top 50. The new element is Samuca’s co-production, taking on the role for the first time alongside Maurício.
“Pra Gente Se Acabar” is an album to dance to, reflect on, cry to, and listen to layer by layer—for nothing in it is there by chance.