Poetry & Soundscapes - Larissa x Suenos

About my ongoing poetry and music project with Suenos  - followed by the collection of poems

On 16 June 2026, amidst the green and waves of a winter's month on Nerina Street in Stilbaai, with a crackling fire, twinkle in our eyes and yearning towards an inner world, me and Suenos band finished recording our collaborative project of poems and music. We are excited to almost release these 6 soundscapes into world.

This "yet untitled" collection is comprised of a series of poems written over several years and which seemed to not fit in anywhere. That is until the veil was lifted and I saw them as an entirety - together. Written in English and Afrikaans, some of them were complete and others were mixed together to create these six poems that I would have the honour to perform live with my friends and talented musicians - Suenos. What was originally compiled for a one time show has evolved into something that far exceeded my expectations. From how they came together so naturally to form our set - as if they were always meant to be used in this way - to the way they have travelled along with me on this road of life over the last few years - these poems hold a special place in the bookshelf of my heart. 

At that very first rehearsal, no one knew what to expect. Somehow, everything just came together. There was no planning - it just happened. I read the poems aloud to them only once whilst they listened intently. On the music side of things: they had some sounds they were playing around with at the time and when it came to putting the words and the music together, there was no holding back - no questioning. Together, we just plunged right into the murky unknown and let the sounds and sonnets do their thing.

The rest is history: the way we performed it at that first rehearsal has formed the basis of how still perform it today - that led to how it was recorded. By now, we have performed at a few underground events in Cape Town including at venues such as The Homecoming Centre; The House of Machines and Harringtons as well as two festivals - Festival of Friends and Kunda Valley. These six poems have formed a special part of my life - and who knows where they will end up in the future.

I do not know why I felt compelled to share these specific poems on here as my first collection that I officially release online other than Instagram. Perhaps it is because they are already alive, in some sense, outside of my own world because I have performed them live and they have been recorded? Maybe it was easier to publish these than others still completely unexposed to the outside world. Or perhaps it is because would like to see them travel even further than they've gone already - and take me along with them. Whatever they case may be - I've yet to figure it out.

Nevertheless, here they are. May you get lost in them again and again - as I do. 

Stay tuned for our release day and upcoming events. Make sure to follow us on Instagram to stay up to date: @lara_blara @suenos.band

If you would like to book us for a live performance, please reach out via email - larissabrand.art@gmail.com