The Great Wilderness

Did You Know?

• They participated in the compilation Sí San José, a project conceived by North American producer Vito Petruzzelli.
• The band announced a hiatus after shows in 2014 and returned to the stage in late 2017 with Monserrat Vargas back in the lineup.

Biography

Paola Rogue and Andrea San Gil kept making music together after their old band, Lolita Piñata, broke up in 2009. They formed a new group and soon brought in Monserrat Vargas on bass, who had worked with Paola before. After months of writing and rehearsing, they started playing shows at spots like El Cuartel, Latino Rock, and El CENAC. In 2010, Jimena Torres joined on second guitar. Their first EP, Afterimages of Glowing Visions, came out as a semi-conceptual piece about a post-apocalyptic dream that leads to self-discovery. Later that year, in November, they dropped a second EP called Tiny Monsters, six songs dealing with claustrophobia, determinism, and obsessiveness. This release got them attention from outlets like NME Magazine, Noiseloop, and Cuchara Sonica, which named them the best new underground band of 2010.

On April 15, they put out a double single, “Dark Horse” (parts 1 and 2), with a live video filmed by Sürrealista at a show in El Lobo Estepario. It was free to download on their Bandcamp page. In September 2011, they went on their first European tour, hitting France, Germany, and the UK, sharing bills with Ghxst, Portugal. The Man, and La Pegatina. Back in Costa Rica, they joined the compilation Sí San José, a project from producer Vito Petruzzelli alongside Daniel Ortuño and Adrian Poveda that featured nine local indie bands. It earned praise both at home and abroad. Around that time, Andrea San Gil left the group, and Alexandro Baviera—known from A Cry for Marie and Alphabetics—took over on drums. In December 2011, “Dark Horse” won best song of the year from Costa Rican press members via a digital magazine. That same month, the band got an invite to play SXSW in March 2012, where they performed alongside Cymbals Eat Guitars, A Classic Education, and Ganglians.