Hot off one of the stronger rock albums of 2024, guitarist, singer-songwriter, and producer Fernando Perdomo released the prog-rock instrumental album ‘Waves.’ Out now and available via https://fernandoperdomo.bandcamp.com, the album is the first of the guitarist’s series of monthly releases. Perdomo is releasing one album a month in 2025. 

Waves is a bold first step for a rather bold project. All the songs are written, played, and produced by Perdomo. The guitarist also handles recording and mixing the album with mastering by Zach Ziskin. The album recalls Perdomo’s four albums, the ‘Out Of Sea’ series, with its variety of near-perfect progressive compositions and stellar musicality. “Mind Reader” recalls David Gilmour/Pink Floyd. Perdomo integrates several guitar tracks in this melodic gem. Touches of vintage-sounding keyboards and 70’s era drums build upon the song’s central guitar theme—the song strings forward with authority and touches of mystery before its frenzied denouement. 

“Puzzle Peace,” perhaps my favorite song, is a compact yet powerful beast. Its funky guitar intro is infectious and leads to a slide guitar theme as the bass and drums build. Perdomo then adds a chunky rhythm guitar, which plays just underneath his distorted lead. The song’s title is apt, given how the guitarist weaves the touches into an outstanding track. 

The album’s first single, “The Endless Coast,” is mystical. The central guitar theme is distorted and inviting. Perdomo builds a layer of Fender Rhodes-like keyboards to further the feel while playing a melodic bass line. The drumming is played back with nuanced ride cymbal work. The result is a song that totally fits the album’s thematic goals. 

“Transcendental Medication,” with its altered shuffle, delicate brushwork, and chorus-like synths, shifts from mood to mood. The clean-sounding lead guitar masks building angst, reaching a fitting release by the song’s end. 

The ten-song journey ends with “Waves At Nightfall.” The album has come full circle. The song starts with Fripp sonics from Perdomo’s guitar. The interplay between the moody melody guitar and the lead guitar is mesmerizing, almost like you are on a Florida beach watching a beautiful sunset. 

Indeed, it’s a fitting end to ‘Waves’. Fernando Perdomo is off to an excellent start for this ten-record series.

You may buy the album via his Bandcamp page at: https://fernandoperdomo.bandcamp.com/album/waves