Song premiere: Starflake and AILA collab puts futuristic spin on Spanish classic Porque Te Vas
Austin act Starflake featuring Jackie O’Brien of The Bright Light Social Hour has collaborated with Mexican turned Austin artist AILA on a futuristic update to Jeanette’s classic Spanish song, “Porque Te Vas” (1974). O’Brien who is founding bassist and vocalist of TBLSH also operates their Escondido Sound studio where he tracked this impressive update to an iconic Spanish pop song. Today, the premiere of the new version of the track is being presented here. The song can be found wherever you stream music.
Inspired by Italo-disco, synthpop, and darkwave, O’Brien and “my favorite new Austin artist” AILA turn the song into an emotional, layered, danceable experience that features innovative elements, such as a guitar lead processed through a modular synthesizer. O’Brien enlisted the help of TBLSH drummer Zac Cantazaro and percussionist, Juan Alfredo Rios to create a lush, hypnotic rhythm that makes it impossible not to move and dance to this track. With AILA and Jackie’s vocal performance, the song truly takes on a new identity, forging a modern interpretation that reflects the musical influences of working artists from Texas that are still pushing the boundaries of what sonic art sounds like.
Jackie, who has long been key figure in the local psych-rock scene as a member of TBLSH, presents his most experimental side at the helm of Starflake, a tropical post-punk project that blends pulsing bass lines, seductive atmospheres, and punk energy. AILA, based in Austin with roots in Mexico, continues to consolidate a musical project that moves between indie-pop and alternative rock, with lyrics steeped in vulnerability, confrontation, and introspection.
“After hearing the song in a taxi in Oaxaca, Mexico, I became obsessed. At the same time, I was listening to AILA’s debut EP on repeat. That’s when I knew this classic would be the perfect starting point to collaborate with her.” – Jackie O’Brien
“This song has been with me since childhood, on long trips with my family. It holds enormous nostalgic value, but it’s also part of Mexico’s collective memory: it’s cyclical and always comes back. Bringing it into another sonic territory was very special.” – AILA
Lyrics (translated to English):
Today the sun shines in my window
Today the sun shines in my window
And my heart grows sad
Gazing over the city
Because you’re leaving
Like every night
I woke up
Thinking of you
And on my clock I watched the hours go by
Because you’re leaving
All the promises of my love will leave with you
You will forget me
You will forget me
By the station I will cry like a child
Because you’re leaving
Because you’re leaving
Because you’re leaving
Because you’re leaving
Beneath the dim light of a streetlamp
All the things left unsaid will fall asleep
They’ll fall asleep
Beside the hands of a clock
All the hours left to live will wait
They will wait
All the promises of my love will leave with you
You will forget me
You will forget me
By the station I will cry like a child
Because you’re leaving
Because you’re leaving
Because you’re leaving
Because you’re leaving
All photos and album art by Andrea Escobar
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